Rita Mae contemplates the cost of chasing your dreams on raw, stripped back new single ‘Big Star’
Rising indie darling Rita Mae teams up with writer/producer Leroy Clampit (Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Laufey), for the gorgeous new single Big Star.
Listen to Big Star HERE
The New Zealand singer and songwriter has been slowly but surely searing her unique style of indie-alt rock ‘n pop into the minds of discerning music lovers around the globe. Her recent releases the grungy, anthemic Kiss The Sky and gritty My Bad have quickly clocked up tens of thousands of streams and new fans alike.
Now Rita Mae showcases a softer, gentler side with Big Star, allowing the talented songwriter’s lyricism and melodies to shine.
“This is definitely the most stripped down track on the project,” Rita Mae says of Big Star, which will sit alongside the aforementioned songs on her upcoming EP.
Co-written with and produced by the Grammy-nominated NZ-born, LA-based songwriter and producer Leroy Clampitt, Big Star is set in the future in a scenario where the main character has given up everything to chase a dream. It acts like “some kind of warning to myself,” says Rita Mae.
She elaborates: “Follow your dreams but at what cost? I love music. I want my whole life to be music. But I also want love and friendship and happiness and a million other things, and sometimes it feels like “chase your dreams” comes with “and sacrifice everything else!” in the fine print.
Sonically, Big Star harks back to Rita Mae’s earlier songs, which were written acoustically in full singer-songwriter style. Although recent releases have seen her branching out to more guitar and drum driven tracks, she returned to basics for this one.
”I enjoy what I’m doing now, working with producers and exploring genres, but I also miss writing in that super raw way, where all that matters are the chords, melodies and lyrics. Writing Big Star with Leroy felt like such a relief and a return to the core of who I am as an artist – creating a whole world of a song with a couple instruments and my voice.”
Rita Mae has been making waves in Aotearoa’s alt-indie scene since she started releasing songs like the stirring The Secret’s Out in 2021 and then the effortlessly cool Candy’s House in 2021. In 2023 she unveiled her EP Superfeeling Deluxe, which featured Candy’s House (Comedown Song). The single was featured on the likes of Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Sniffers, Coup de Main, ZM and The Edge.
In 2023, Rolling Stone AU/NZ magazine tipped her as “one of eight Kiwis artists tipped to take over”, saying “Music is in her DNA, and Rita Mae’s future as an artist in her own right looks very bright indeed…”
Rita Mae’s new EP is set for release in coming months, featuring singles Big Star, Kiss The Sky and My Bad.
