NZ Songwriter Behind ‘Growing Pains’ Blends Technology and Mental Health
The songwriter behind Growing Pains, the funky indie pop soul single that passed 200,000 Spotify streams in its first two weeks and earned 400,000+ views across social media in NZ and Australia, belongs to one songwriter working alone in Taranaki: Ramon Telfer, recording as The ill collective.
Telfer has landed on an unusual pairing: technology and mental health. He writes every lyric and melody himself, then uses AI tools to transform his rough home recordings into full-band arrangements.
The project began during a season of change: Telfer was on the mend from a difficult year, and becoming a new dad sparked fresh inspiration. In the space of a few days, a whole album flowed out: You Are What You Think. “The songs kept flowing and flowing, the ADHD hyperfocus kicked in,” says Telfer. “Songwriting has been one of the best medications I’ve ever taken.”
Hiring a vocalist was not an option on his budget, until a friend sent him software that could take his rough song recordings and transform the voice and instrumentals with AI. The bedroom demos came to life without hiring anyone.
Telfer is open about the process everywhere. Every radio station, curator and media outlet he contacts gets the same plain statement: the songwriting, the lyrics and the melodies, are his; the final vocal performance and instrumentation are AI-rendered, which is what lets him realise full-band arrangements as an independent songwriter.
The momentum is building. Growing Pains also earned a music video and its first NZ radio play. Blood Orange pulled 500,000+ social views across America with 70,000+ Spotify plays. The love, out 19 September, is the newest single: funky, upbeat indie pop soul. All three feature on the upcoming album You Are What You Think.
The band name carries the plan. “Maybe one day I’ll work on my voice or bring in some other singers,” says Telfer. “That’s where the ‘collective’ part of The ill collective comes from: room for other voices and ideas.”
