Twelve-Year-Old Rohan Evans Releases Debut Single

With the support of local musicians and Whakatāne-based music studio Te Wai Orooro, The Sound Project, Rohan has transformed his original composition into a fully produced track. At just 12 years old, Rohan wrote Synthetic Horizons at the age of 10 while learning about space and technology in Primary School. The song explores themes of discovery and the unknown.

Over a weekend-long recording session, Rohan collaborated with some of Eastern Bay’s most well-known musicians. Fraser Browne was the recording engineer and mixed the track with Hani Totorewa (Hani Dread – founding member of Katchafire), who led the project.

“I’ve put my heart and soul into this song, and I can’t wait to share it with the world,” says Rohan. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to get it on the radio and Spotify, and I think it’ll help me play it better live.”

Hani Totorewa, who first met Rohan as a guitar student in 2023, quickly recognized his talent. “Within 10 minutes, I knew he was super-talented, and in two weeks we had switched from guitar lessons to songwriting,” said Totorewa. “To be there recording one of the many songs he will have is awesome. He’s got so much potential and so many years ahead as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, or sound engineer.”

Casey Magee, Rohan’s guitar teacher of two years, praised his songwriting ability. “For his age, his songwriting is very mature, even lyrically,” said Magee. “You can forget sometimes that he’s just turned 12. I’m looking forward to what he does in the next five to ten years.”

Rohan’s journey to recording his first single has been fuelled by hard work and determination. With a bright future ahead, Rohan is ready to make his mark on the music world.