Niki Kennedy Takes Listeners on a Journey of Cultural Reconnection on Debut Album
Award-winning Pasifika singer-songwriter Niki Kennedy has released her debut album The Space In Between – a beautiful body of work exploring the themes of home, identity and belonging.
The Space In Between is a journey of reconnection through culture, nature, and story, integrating Polynesian elements into contemporary roots music.
“This record is the result of two years of exploration and experimentation in a desperate attempt to find my artistic voice,” says Niki, who was born in Aotearoa and now lives in Canada.
“After what felt like a bajillion funding rejections, I had to find a way to make music anyway, and I found that self-producing allowed me to meet myself where I was and reclaim a sense of artistic autonomy in my work. I tried to let go of what I thought (or had been told) I ‘should’ do, removing rules and self-imposed limitations, using music as expression instead of a formula or a manufactured idea in an attempt to squeeze into a box I was never going to fit in.”
The 12-track The Space In Between features new single Meant To Be, which is about finding hope in the uncertainty. “I wrote it from a place of feeling a little lost and struggling with the idea of ‘home’, especially living so far away from my own. It’s about the little reminders the universe gives us, in nature, that ground us and let us know we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.”
Meant To Be sits alongside the already released Revolution, I Don’t Think About You, Through The Night and Gardenias, as well songs not yet heard like Every Time and Living, which are among Niki’s favourite tracks on the album
“Every Time was written out of frustration with the political climate of the world and how desensitized we’ve become to atrocities to both people and the planet. It was inspired by the idea of turning to nature for grounding, cleansing, and wisdom in unsettled or turbulent times.”
“Living is a song I originally didn’t think would make the record, but I thought there was something beautiful about stripping it back and leaving listeners with hope, peace, and love for the world around us.”
All poignant songs, collectively they form an exquisitely crafted body of work with a powerful message, introducing New Zealand to a songwriter with immense talent, honesty and integrity.
“I created almost in resistance to gendered and genre-based constraints, articulating my thoughts and perspective in an honest and, at times, emotionally exposed way,” says Niki.
“I tried to really show up vulnerably in my storytelling, even if it meant unmasking and confronting insecurities, frustrations, and fears. I didn’t go into this process trying to “write an album”, but to capture the messy human journey of figuring it all out, and at the end of it, I had a collection of songs that felt true to this chapter of my life and artistry.”
The Space In Between was written and produced by Niki in her home studio. It was finished with Shane Stephenson, who also mixed the record, in a small studio space in Vancouver. It was mastered by Brock McFarlane at CPS Mastering. Niki created the album artwork herself.
