Lydia Cole Makes a Triumphant Return with ‘I Need Space’
Aotearoa singer and songwriter Lydia Cole has returned to the fold with new music – the exquisitely gentle and contemplative, I Need Space.
I Need Space is the first new single from Lydia in more than seven years and marks the triumphant return of one of Aotearoa’s most respected independent artists. The song lays the foundations for Lydia’s third full-length album, set for release in 2027.
A deeply personal and tender song, I Need Space is a stunning vessel of vulnerability, as Lydia opens up about her struggles with PTSD and “challenges that aren’t so gentle,” says Lydia. “The song wrestles with the need for both connection and space in order to recover and find balance.”
“It’s really an ode to my partner, who has loved me through so much – even when I didn’t expect him to,” she adds.
Lydia’s music has been a staple of the New Zealand music scene since the release of her EP, Love Will Find A Way in 2009. Following that, she released two critically acclaimed albums – Me & Moon (2012) and The Lay of The Land (2017) – which saw the Silver Scroll-nominated songwriter relocate to Berlin and tour across the UK and Europe. 2019 saw Lydia overtaken by debilitating burn-out, forcing her to return home to Aotearoa and step away from music indefinitely.
For Lydia, working again with long-time collaborator, the award-winning producer and engineer, Nic Manders, was a significant homecoming. “It has meant a lot to me to be back in the studio with Nic after not knowing I would ever make music again. I also really appreciated that his studio was at Parachute Studios. They have full time wellbeing staff there and I always felt supported.”
It’s also fitting that Lydia and her partner Timothy Armstrong co-created the dream-like official video for I Need Space – a moving tapestry, which beautifully mirrors the song’s delicate nature.
I Need Space, which is supported by NZ on Air, opens the door on a new chapter in an already remarkable journey and gives longtime fans – and undoubtedly new ones as well – a glimpse of the magic that Lydia’s quietly been working on for the better part of three years.
“Burnout and PTSD changed my brain; it doesn’t work at full capacity anymore. This new music has taken so much more grit and patience than anything I’ve made before, but it also brought me back to life.”
Photo Credit: Naomi Haussmann
