| New Zealand-born Toronto singer-songwriter leans into depth and diversity on stunning 12-song collection LISTEN TO + SHARE “MEANT TO BE”BANDCAMP :: STREAMING |
Two years ago, Toronto singer-songwriter Niki Kennedy was searching for new inspiration and a new direction. Like many emerging young artists, she realized she had fallen into the trap of chasing expectations set by others rather than following her own instincts. It was an epiphany for Kennedy, who had already earned a Masters degree in music, been accepted into several industry-sponsored creative programs, and released a handful of independent singles.
She decided to try something different—ignore what she “should” be doing, and simply start writing songs that drew from her life experiences, often in a vulnerable manner she had never attempted before that unmasked and confronted her insecurities, frustrations and fears. Kennedy has channelled all of it into her debut album The Space In Between, which showcases her entrancing voice in inventive arrangements rooted in modern adult pop with hints of country, R&B and reggae.
Niki says, “I didn’t go into this process trying to ‘write an album,’ but to capture the messy human journey of figuring it all out. At the end of it, I had a collection of songs that felt true to this chapter of my life and artistry. I chose 12 of them for this album, and it was at that point that I went into the studio with long-time friend and collaborator Shane Stephenson, who mixed the record and helped me bring it to the finish line.”
On the album’s new single, “Meant To Be,” Niki puts her distinctive stamp on modern country with a ballad that showcases her ethereal voice. “‘Meant To Be’ is about finding hope in the uncertainty,” she says. “I wrote this song from a place of feeling a little lost and struggling with the idea of ‘home’, especially living so far away from my own. It’s about the little reminders the universe gives us that ground us and let us know we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.”
Other songs on The Space In Between reflect Kennedy’s Cook Islands Māori heritage. Born and raised in New Zealand (Aotearoa in Māori), she revisited the work of many Kiwi artists such as Che Fu, Nesian Mystik and Stan Walker who incorporate their Indigenous culture and language into their music. Niki does this in her personal way on the album’s opening track “Revolution,” which reached the top spot on the Indigenous Music Countdown.
“It’s a song about choosing kindness in a world that feels increasingly divided, choosing love as a form of resistance, and choosing community over self. It doesn’t have any instruments until halfway through; it’s almost 6 minutes long, and introduces Te Reo Māori Kūki ʻĀirani—an endangered, Indigenous Polynesian language—to my work.”
Elsewhere, the influence of legendary female artists such as Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Tracy Chapman shines through, particularly on the aching love songs “I Don’t Think About You” and “I’ll Never Give You Up,” accentuated by swooning pedal steel. The Space In Between concludes on a hopeful note with “Living,” a stripped down ballad that encapsulates Niki’s optimism for the future.
“I’ve never been prouder of anything in my life,” she says of creating the album entirely on her own terms. “While I hope to continue evolving, I think this work is an accurate expression of who I am at this moment, and I’m excited to share it with the world.”
