“New Zealand have a new pop duo on the scene that are going to melt your hearts and have you ready to dance under fluorescent lights.”– thomasbleach.com
Consisting of best friends Grace Moller and Heidi Simpson, LAIIKA are a female pop-duo from Auckland with an exciting modern take on pop music that recounts the whimsical feelings of youth with cutting truth. Since writing and performing their first song together as thirteen year olds, the now nineteen year old friends have been busy developing their unique sound and style, combining one another’s songwriting and production skills over the past five years.
Released in November 2020, their long-awaited debut single ‘Crush’, recorded and produced by fellow Auckland local, Rory Noble, introduces the duo’s original and authentic personality. Heavily influenced by the classic 80s synths of Huey Lewis And The News and the early 2000s pop they were listening to at the time, LAIIKA were inspired to incorporate these elements into a modern pop song that accurately compliments the past eras they so often draw inspiration from.
“dream-pop dosed with the musical aesthetics of ’80s new wave and ’70s disco.”– NZ Musician
Riding on the coattails of their synth-pop laden debut, comes LAIIKA’s second single ‘Any Way You Want It,’ co-produced by both Moller and Simpson alongside Simon Gooding. Inheriting the dreamy groove of 80s disco, this song’s shamelessly forward and provocative personality nods to artists of the same era, such as Debbie Harry and Madonna, whilst also incorporating the gritty sense of expression that flows through early 2000s pop and many women who have come before them and opened up the space to express their sexuality.
Sonically cohesive, yet eclectic, LAIIKA continue to write and co-produce all of their own songs, ranging from upbeat funkalicious dance tracks to stripped back intimate power ballads. Drawing inspiration from 70’s disco, dreamy 80’s synth pop and punchy 2000’s classics, think Avril Lavigne’s teenage angst meets the electro-pop power of The Veronicas with a touch of Taylor Swift’sfolklore delicacy and you’ve got LAIIKA pinned. A duo who are more ready than ever to take on the world of pop, in their very own unique and significant way.
See LAIIKA live at Outer Fields at Western Springs – Saturday Dec 4, 2021.
LAIIKA – ‘Any Way You Want It’ – Out Now
