EP Review: Emotions

At only ten years old, Aanvi S is perhaps New Zealand’s youngest up-and-coming pop sensation. Working with Dan Antunovich and Scott Seabright at Auckland’s Parachute Studios, her debut EP Emotions is a promising poetic collection, introducing a new voice the younger generation not only needs, but deserves.

“I ain’t gonna change myself, not for any boy or girl“, Aanvi croons on opening track Change Myself, immediately testifying to her willpower and the earnesty that shines through on her writing. The production is simple, but this is perhaps intentional, to showcase Aanvi’s character above all else. Follow-up track Light is the collection’s standout. Laden with guitar grooves, dreamy melodies and a chorus as sticky sweet as honey, it’s a confident self-empowerment anthem made all the better thanks to its childlike sense of pure joy.

Speak Up bursts into life with quirky indie pop percussion, reminiscent of early 2010’s radio stars like Avalanche City and Jamie McDell. As its title might suggest, its lyrics give an on-the-nose reminder to use your voice for good, but Aanvi’s passion for the topic gives it strength. This additionally makes the closing number The Mirror all the more poignant. A shimmering ballad with cinematic touches, The Mirror shows off an impressive vocal range, as Aanvi powerfully declares, “it’s finally my time”.

Already boasting a string of successes with HookLineAndSingalong and Establish Music, Emotions is the next step in the career of an artist the likes of whom we’ve never seen in a major way on our shores. Its universal message to follow your heart is one we can all believe in, and it gives us equally good reason to follow Aanvi S, too.