Rising star takes centre stage with new Remix

21 November 2016

Rising star takes centre stage with new Remix the Orchestra single

At just 19 years old, talented R’n’B singer Ellaphon Tauariki has today released a brand new single ‘Red Lights’ on the New Zealand charts, as part of an Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) Remix the Orchestra scholarship.

Ellaphon, who is from West Auckland, was the 2015 recipient of the APO Remix the Orchestra scholarship, an annual prize valued at $2,000. He received the opportunity to work with the Remix team to compose and record an original piece of music for public release.

‘Red Lights’ is written by Ellaphon together with Kiwi songstress Lavina Williams, and is produced by award-winning hip-hop producer and APO Remix the Orchestra Music Director Anonymouz. Singer La Coco (Latoia Sasa-Tepania) also features on the track. Ellaphon says the song captures his emotions when he is on stage and singing. “Red Lights is about the love I have for not only the music, but the feeling I get from performing and being centre stage with just a microphone,” he says.

The Remix the Orchestra scholarship programme offers talented urban artists the unique opportunity to collaborate with several APO musicians to produce a distinctive musical sound on the track. Classical instruments are featured throughout ‘Red Lights’, and the recording gave the APO players a chance to step away from the music stand and showcase their freestyle skills.

Of Ngāti Whātua descent, Ellaphon comes from a musical family, and has participated in performances, productions and competitions including Hawaiki Tū (haka theatre), Phoenix Performing Arts, and Māori Television talent show Homai Te Pakipaki. He has just completed his first year at Excel School of Music and Performing Arts, and has been selected for the 2017 Excel tour team.

Ellaphon says the Remix scholarship has given him a significant step up in his pursuit of a career in the music industry. “Music has always been a form of therapy for me,” he says. “Whatever mood I’m in, I can turn to music.”

A music video for the single was directed by Mischief Media and filmed by The Film Crew, and both the single and music video are released nationwide today. Download the single at www.apo.co.nz/remix and watch the music video at https://youtu.be/e9BdVdh7FBs

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