Auckland Singer Justine Thomas Releases Pop Album For Millennial Mums
Local singer Justine Thomas has released her debut album, Not Something Adults Should Say, a 12-track journey through her life as a thirty-something suburban mother with two busy kids, an entrepreneurial Kiwi husband, and yes, dreams of her own. With songs about losing yourself in parenthood, fielding unsolicited advice from “experts,” and the fairytale way she met her husband, Chef Gwithyen Thomas of Ōrewa’s FIN & Chips, the album is aimed at women going through the all-too-relatable minefield of millennial motherhood. Justine says she hopes some of the tracks on the album help other mothers feel seen.
“A lot of mums can relate to putting everything for ourselves aside because we want the best for our kids,” she says. “Balancing our own needs with the needs of our kids is the most challenging part of motherhood.”
Whether up-tempo bop or intimate ballad, every song on Not Something Adults Should Say was penned by Justine and based on her own life. The album opens with a burst of playful energy on title track Not Something Adults Should Say, a lighthearted pushback against unsolicited parenting advice. Next up, Apologies in Bed sweetly reminds us of a reliable way to smooth things over with our partner after a tiff, and later in the album, Oh Tom! is a cheeky ode to how fatherhood can amp up a husband’s sex appeal. (It’s also the true story of how Gwithyen, fearing Justine wouldn’t be able to pronounce his name on their first date, introduced himself with a simpler alias.)
On sweet, upbeat tracks like Glass Slipper and Always Be, Justine draws on the nostalgic pop sound of influences like Britney Spears and Savage Garden to tell two distinct love stories: the first romantic, and the second about a mother’s love for her children. Wispy ballad Dreams delves into that middle-of-the-night feeling of your own hopes and desires slipping away, while the driving beats in Temptation and Just a Mom pair with fun, true-to-life lyrics about relationships and identity.
Originally from Colorado in the United States, Justine discovered her passion for music at an early age. “I’ve always loved singing,” she says, “and my dream has been to record an album, but life kept getting in the way.”
Some of those life experiences included founding a restaurant in California with Gwith that served New Zealand fare until wildfires forced them to close, as well as moving here to Aotearoa three years ago with two young children in tow. Like many parents, Justine realized that the “right time” to pursue her passions might never come.
“I woke up one day and realized that the stress, the bills, all those things – they’re always going to be there. There’s always going to be an excuse not to do something for yourself. But it’s so important to follow your dreams. You should never put a price, whether financial or emotional, on your own happiness.”
Not Something Adults Should Say is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music.
