Marking her first solo release since 2024, Tāmaki Makaurau singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Hina returns with ‘Coucou!’ – a swirl of 1960s French pop and cinematic strings, tracing the push-and-pull of longing and the fear of being “too much.” The arrangement — shaped by James Milne’s (Lawrence Arabia) unmistakable sensibility in the basslines and string section — feels light on its feet, but the lyrics carry a weightier truth. In Hina’s words, the song is about “feeling deeply inadequate in ways that felt unfamiliar, thinking I was ‘too’ flawed, ‘too’ sensitive, ‘too’ unworldly, ‘too much.’”
Hina takes ‘Coucou!’ to the screen with a retro-inspired video, framed in the back of a vintage car. Her dress and styling anchor the frame, while subtle emotional shifts hint at the song’s tension between openness and restraint. Directed by Hina and shot by Sina Leo, the video captures the push-and-pull at the heart of the song. “I wanted to play with the duality of the off-duty ballerina and the mariachi trumpeter. Performative femininity meets performative masculinity, masking insecurities in their own ways. They’re not on the stage, but the car isn’t a private space either. The characters never interact, almost unaware of each other’s presence, as if in a dream. It’s a semi-surreal exploration of the uncertainty of falling in love and the emotional tightrope of chasing perfection,” she says.
Quietly present across the Tāmaki Makaurau scene — from her 2025 Going Global showcase to performances with the Exploding Rainbow Orchestra, playing at The Others Way Festival, and supporting Ian Moss (Cold Chisel) in December at the Hollywood Avondale. Hina also lends her vocals, guitar, and violin sensibilities to artists such as Anna Coddington, MOHI, and alayna. ‘Coucou!’ is the first step in Hina’s 2026 chapter, signalling a year of new music, performances, and creative projects, and marking the emergence of an artist stepping fully into her own.
HINA – Artist Bio
HINA is the creative mantle of Tāmaki Makaurau-based songwriter Amy Boroevich (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Raukawa). With a sound described by Remix Magazine as “genre-fluid”, HINA has emerged as one of New Zealand’s most captivating new voices. This year will usher in HINA’s debut album, recorded live at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios with a seven-piece band and four-piece string ensemble. The record captures a quintessentially Aotearoa sound, flowing through indie-rock and alt-country textures with a dusting of pop instinct. With timeless songwriting and emotional bravery, HINA has developed a sound that balances complex feeling with plainspoken honesty. These songs were planted in the soil of small, unnamed moments. They are for anyone who has learned to live in the in-between and is ready to find their way home to themselves again.
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