Join us to reimagine music history
We want to shine the light on one of the most important chapters in the history of New Zealand music.
BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP
The troopship SS Aquitania being escorted leaving Wellington Harbour on 2 May, 1940
with composer Private Ruru Karaitiana of the 28th Maori Battalion on board.
Our project to reimagine a pivotal story of Aotearoa's music whakapapa has been
We are creating a tribute album to bring one of New Zealand's most unsung musical stories into the forefront again for a new generation.
A young woman reluctantly agreed to give voice to a song, Blue Smoke, that gave birth to the New Zealand recording industry and saw her recognised as our first pop star. Pixie Williams went on to record a total of 13 songs – and our mission is to make her music relevant for a new generation of New Zealanders to enjoy.
We have started a project on Boosted, New Zealand’s best crowdfunding platform for the arts community. We aim to raise $35,000 to complete the tribute album of 12 of Pixie’s reimagined songs with fresh sounds, beautiful new arrangements and stunning contemporary vocals.
Called The New Blue, the album is being created so that the legacy started by Blue Smoke will live on.
But we need your help to make this happen.
Become part of our story that would otherwise be lost forever. Please go to our Boosted page to learn more about the project, and please donate! Every dollar counts.
We are more than 50% through the album’s creation but we still have a way to go, as even with the generous support from Creative NZ, Massey University and our match donor Resene Paints, we still need funds to finish.
It’s not often you get a chance to secure a music legacy, so we hope you join us to ensure Pixie’s songs, and this incredible New Zealand story, endures forever.
Meet The New Blue team
We are incredibly lucky to have such a talented and dedicated group of people who are working on the recording project, including some of New Zealand's most sought-after musicians.
Stay tuned about our campaign
During our fundraising campaign we will be posting new information about the recording project, profiles on some of our incredible supporters and some behind-the-scene stories about our journey so far.
When you donate you can choose to receive updates about the campaign and how we are going towards our goal.
