Music Industry News

Kirsten Morrell, best known for her sparkling career as lead vocalist of Aotearoa’s household name Goldenhorse, has today released the music video for her single ‘Hoping & Wishing’ – a loving tribute to a dear friend. The track is off her forthcoming second solo album Morrellium – set to release in March next year.

Off the back of the release of ‘Hoping & Wishing’ on November 21, came recognition across a handful of media outlets including the NZ Listener, Radio New Zealand, online blogs and across the Student Radio Network board. Kirsten, without funding this time, is pivoting again within the industry diaspora — this time by discovering a groovy Fiverr maker by the name of Upa H. This lyric video paints a wistful picture simply and helps illustrate her inner thoughts.

Kirsten Morrell has racked up a long list of achievements throughout the years alongside being the lead vocalist of Goldenhorse. She’s quite the entrepreneur within the arts sector; having written and staged an operetta, worked at a tangle of places such as NZ Opera, TAPAC, A.M Heath.. She’s even led marketing campaigns to help launch and build local businesses such as The Outlook For Someday and MAFT!. And now back in Aotearoa she can wax lyrical about all the venues about all the venues and appointments she’s had with Crouch End Festival Chorus and just performed in <,b>Handel’s Messiah which closed Auckland Choral’s 2025 season in style according to NZ Herald reviewer William Dart.

Goldenhorse’s success is nothing short of impressive – achieving triple platinum sales in New Zealand with their debut album Riverhead (over 50,000 copies sold) and double-platinum sales with follow-up Out of The Moon before signing an international record deal and touring around the world, most notably in Canada and three times in Germany. The band’s hit single ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ became a kiwi staple and earned them an APRA Silver Scroll and New Zealand Music Award – and they’ve received kudos from kiwi trailblazers Lorde and Harper Finn. With over 15 years touring and musical experience, Kirsten Morrell of Goldenhorse is nothing short of talented. Her debut solo album Ultraviolet came in 2010, featuring the effortless vocal charm that became her trademark and revealed more of her pop writing and production abilities – powerfully shown again through today’s single release.

‘Hoping & Wishing’ came to be as Kirsten was making the decision to leave London due to the neighbouring war in Ukraine. Things were heating up locally, she had been threatened in the street, she felt she wasn’t safe protesting or joining in, in the same political rallies she does on this side of the world. During this time, she had had a handful of music mentoring sessions with a gentleman in CEFChorus called Robin White – who had an extensive music background of his own – a composer, a conductor and classical festival inventor. Following the sad news of his passing earlier this year, ‘Hoping & Wishing’ (also called ‘Robin’s Song’) came to be. It’s a peace song, she says: “An anti-hate song’… when the world was in chaos and I felt crippled and unable to help others. Writing freed me of that feeling”.

The sketch-book artwork throughout the music video brings this story to life. When working with Upa H. Kirsten says: “Creatively collaborating on this music video has been a deeply intentional process, shaped by shared listening, open dialogue, and a willingness to let the work evolve. A quick guided moment to speak to the heart. While the video gently reflects current events through emotion and human connection rather than noise or urgency. The result is a piece that invites feeling. I hope. Enjoy”.

The music video for ‘Hoping & Wishing’ by Kirsten Morrell is out now, watch it here and stream the single here.

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