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With her successful first release ‘just before you go’ and a series of noteworthy collaborations that followed, Averie effortlessly asserted herself as a clear one-to-watch. Now reemerging with ‘honeycomb’, her sultry first single of several for 2026, Averie is committed to earning the title of Aotearoa’s neo-soul it-girl.

Produced by Josh Fountain (LEISURE, BENEE) and Nikau Te Huki (Casual Healing), ‘honeycomb’ establishes itself as an impressive yet unique collaboration before it is even heard. Leaning heavily into bossa nova influences, ‘honeycomb’ explores Latin grooves and jazz-inspired harmony as it adopts the perspective of a fictional stalker. In a romantic bid for possession, Averie’s character is unable to differentiate one-sided love from obsession and the installation of fear. Billie-Eilish-esque vocal layers are juxtaposed with a myriad of rich instrumentation; Latin percussion and guitar stir together with layers of strings and harmonies to paint a warm yet devious soundscape. The single being an exploration of infatuation provides a fitting place for Averie to begin imagining the sensuality of the artist persona she is beginning to inhabit.

The sonic and aesthetic world of ‘honeycomb’ is one that slots perfectly into Averie’s existing and future discography as she continues to dive deeper into the exploration of neo-soul, jazz and hip-hop. In 2025, Averie was hand-selected out of 200+ applicants by the Grammy award winning 9th Wonder to partake in his APRA SongHubs. 9th Wonder was named one of Billboard’s 25 Greatest Rap Producers of All Time, and has collaborated with the majority of the pioneering artists of the music that Averie takes inspiration from, including Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, Beyoncé and Anderson .Paak. During SongHubs, Averie produced and wrote multiple new songs with 9th Wonder and other participants from NZ and LA. ‘Honeycomb’ proves to provide the perfect artistic foundation upon which to release these highly anticipated singles later in the year.

The single’s pinterest-worthy music video directed by Tāmaki’s own Crystal Chen is set to drop shortly after the song’s release, and provides the dark feminine and floral visuals to accentuate the song’s seductive energy. Commissioned by the Chilean artist Javiera Liapiz, the ‘honeycomb’ cover artwork is the cherry-on-top of this aesthetically striking release and mini rebrand.

‘honeycomb’ undoubtedly sets the tone for a year in which Averie’s sound and image will become known to Aotearoa. The single and music video are funded by NZ On Air.

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Photo credit: Nicola Sandflower