The Flow Collective Release New EP Black Swans
An intimate reflection on memory, identity, and relationships
WHANGANUI, NEW ZEALAND – Acclaimed Aotearoa musicians Elizabeth de Vegt and Hamish Jellyman (Ngāi Tahu) return as The Flow Collective with their deeply personal new EP Black Swans, releasing on Friday, 16 May 2025, in celebration of New Zealand Music Month and de Vegt's birthday.
Black Swans is a contemplative body of work that reflects on personal histories and how our identities are shaped by past events and relationships. Written and recorded in 2024 at The Stomach in Palmerston North, the EP draws on themes of memory, family, and resilience. The songs express the complexities of navigating the emotional terrain of transformation, and the determination to resist disassociation.
'These songs come from a place of honesty and looking back,' says de Vegt. 'They are about recognising how the past lives in us and shapes who we are today, especially as artists.'
This EP represents the first in a duo, where the underlying threads of past, present and future will link them together. While their previous release Flow was expansive—drawing on the poetry of Airini Beautrais and a collective of musicians—Black Swans is paired back and raw. With lyrics written solely by de Vegt, the EP is grounded in storytelling and emotional vulnerability. Her powerful vocal performances and melodies complement Jellyman's multi-instrumental compositions, showcasing his skills on bass, synth, brass, guitar and keys.
The result is a strikingly intimate record that sits within the evolving tradition of contemporary New Zealand folk, yet remains firmly rooted in personal experience.
Artist Bios
Elizabeth de Vegt is a composer, sound artist, singer-songwriter, performer, and researcher based in Whanganui. She is a vocal and piano teacher and holds a Master of Music with First Class Honours from the University of Waikato, where she also completed doctoral research supported by a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship. De Vegt's work spans contemporary classical, electroacoustic, theatrical, and folk genres. Her compositions have been performed across New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and the USA. She is a recipient of the Gill Presland Award for Excellence in Teaching and holds multiple certifications in adult education and professional coaching.
Hamish Jellyman is a Whanganui-based composer, educator, and multi-instrumentalist. He completed a Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance (Trombone) at the New Zealand School of Music and has performed throughout New Zealand, Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Australia. His credits include the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Royal NZ Air Force Band, Auckland Jazz Orchestra, and bands such as Niko Ne Zna and Spiral Jazz Collective. Hamish is also a dedicated music educator, teaching in schools across the country and directing jazz and concert bands. His studio work includes recordings with Shapeshifter, Gareth Thomas, and others.
Black Swans will be available on all major streaming platforms from 16 May 2025. This EP offers a resonant and courageous take on songwriting from two of Aotearoa's most thoughtful and experienced musical voices.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
3 hours ago
- Scoop
Vape Messaging Targets Young People Via Social Media
A leading e-cigarette brand's global Instagram account is promoting vapes to vast audiences, including in New Zealand, where regulations prohibit vape marketing to young people. Partnership deals with Formula One racing, and glamorous young influencers are promoting vapes to vast global audiences. Many countries, including the UK and New Zealand, have brought in regulations to prevent marketing vapes to young people. Social media platforms also have policies for this purpose. A new study published in Health Promotion International has found Vuse, the world's leading e-cigarette brand, is using a global social account to enter into paid partnerships, including a Formula One racing team, to promote vapes to massive audiences. 'Collaborations with music festivals and inuencers show that the company is targeting young people and may be using social media's global reach to bypass local bans,' says Dr Lucy Hardie, a population health researcher at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, who led the international study. 'Fast cars and beautiful women are a tried-and-true marketing strategy used by the tobacco industry,' Hardie says. The study reviewed more than 400 Instagram posts associated with the internationally leading e-cigarette brand, Vuse, owned by British American Tobacco, between August 2023 to July 2024. Hashtags like #VuseInsider were used to promote brand ambassadors and festival experiences. Vuse has partnerships with social media influencers who produce stylised 'Get Ready with Me' videos linked to music festivals. 'You see a beautiful young influencer choosing fashion and makeup set to cool music, a type of clip popular with young women. It finishes with her popping a vape into her handbag as she heads out the door to attend a music festival,' Hardie says. Vuse also sponsors Formula One race team McLaren, meaning the company's branding and logos are used in posts that are promoted to its nearly 14 million followers. Despite the platform's policy, these are seldom disclosed as paid partnerships, the study finds. The researchers warn that Vuse's global Instagram marketing strategy allows it to bypass national advertising bans, such as those in New Zealand and in the UK, effectively exploiting legal gaps and weak platform enforcement. 'Social media is borderless and so is this type of marketing,' Hardie says. 'We urgently need global agreements restricting e-cigarette marketing on social media, and platforms need to enforce breaches of platform policy. 'There needs to be greater scrutiny and accountability for brand partnerships that target vulnerable audiences with highly addictive substances.' The long-term health effects of youth vaping are not yet known, but associations are emerging in research that link vapes to heart and lung conditions, as well as well-established issues related to nicotine addiction. Another related study just published in Tobacco Control reveals how one New Zealand-based vape company uses environmental schemes to maintain a presence at youth-oriented music festivals in New Zealand, despite a strict sponsorship ban since 2020. The study, also led by Hardie with colleagues from the University of Otago and the University of Sydney, revealed that leading vape company VAPO has established a recycling initiative, VapeCycle, that can sponsor major festivals like Rhythm and Vines attended by more than 20,000 young people. The company's branding still features at the festivals on recycling bins. Hardie says the studies point to a need for stronger regulations and enforcement to better protect young people.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Tobiahs Releases Debut Project 'TO YOU, BY US (VOL. 1)
15 August 2025 After amassing tens of millions of views and over a billion streams across his recent releases, and fresh off sold-out tours across the US, UK, and EU, Naarm-based Lebanese-Australian dance producer Tobiahs today releases his debut body of work: an 8-track project titled TO YOU, BY US (VOL. 1). For Tobiahs, connection has always been at the heart of his artistry. Over the past few years, the producer and DJ has cultivated a devoted community, one that doesn't just listen to his music, but helps shape it. With TO YOU, BY US (VOL. 1), Tobiahs puts his community at the heart of the project. Each track is a fan favourite, chosen through real-time feedback, and the collective voice of his audience. It's the first in a series of projects shaped entirely by the people who know and love the music most. The eight tracks capture moments that have lived and breathed across Tobiahs' different communities - whether it's sample suggestions from fans in his DMs and Discord or late-night YouTube dives shared on Twitch. Each song holds a story of connection, chosen not just for how it sounds, but for how it resonates with the people who helped shape it. 'These are the songs my community backed - from sharing clips of me testing them at shows to jumping into Twitch sessions and dropping feedback in real time. So much of what I create is shaped by the people around me, and this project is a direct reflection of that.' - Tobiahs Today's release features new single 'Before You Broke My Heart' a track that was first debuted live by Tobiahs at his 004 Melbourne show and has had fans eagerly requesting its release ever since. It's a beautifully melancholic track that features soulful piano and vocal performances over a bouncy house beat, showcasing Tobiahs' softer side while maintaining energy for the dance floor. The project also includes Tobiahs' recent breakout releases, including the freshly dropped 'Cross Your Mind', and the massive 'Lifetime', a track that has amassed over 75 million streams, gained support from Tiësto and Keinemusik, and climbed to become the #1 global trending sound on Instagram. It also includes the back-to-back 90s soul-inspired house anthems 'Alone' and 'Angel of Mine', the latter of which has charted in the UK, hit the Top 20 on Australian national radio, and received strong UK airplay across Capital Dance, KISS, and BBC Radio 1. This run of success has been matched by widespread DSP editorial support, including a #1 spot on Apple Music UK's Dance XL and the cover of Massive Dance Hits. In under 18 months, Tobiahs has clocked over 125 million streams and 58 million social views, with sold-out headline shows across London, Delhi, and Toronto, and a debut of his new live show to more than 5,000 fans across Sydney and Melbourne. This project isn't just a personal milestone; it's a community artefact. TO YOU, BY US (VOL. 1) celebrates the power of direct artist-to-fan relationships. Tobiahs' sound lives in the tension between euphoria and melancholy, intimacy and energy, rooted in club culture but grounded in emotional storytelling. It's this duality that has cemented his place as one of the most compelling new voices in Australian electronic music.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Tauranga Teen Wins $10k To Chase Acting Dream In New York
Ōmokoroa student Koen McKenzie named first-ever recipient of Momenta's new award for people with lived experience of disability in the Bay of Plenty Momenta has named Ōmokoroa student Koen McKenzie as the first-ever recipient of its new Live The Life You Love Award, a $10,000 grant created to support disabled people across the Bay of Plenty to pursue bold personal goals. The award is a new initiative from Momenta, a Bay of Plenty-based charitable trust that works alongside people with disabilities to help them build a life they value. Through coaching, mentoring, advocacy and work readiness, Momenta helps people to discover their strengths and step confidently into their futures. The Live the Life You Love Award financially supports people with disabilities in bringing ambitious, life-changing ideas to life, from creative pursuits to personal challenges, business ideas and physical adventure. Koen, a sixteen-year-old who lives with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, plans to use the funds to help attend the Teen Advanced Acting Program at the New York School of Creative and Performing Arts (SOCAPA). The world-class programme is a three-week intensive for young actors from around the globe, who get to train with industry professionals in acting, stagecraft and screen performance. Koen plans to travel to New York in mid-2026 to take part, which is a major step toward achieving his lifelong dream of a career in the performing arts. Applications for the inaugural award opened in April 2025 and were available for several weeks. The opportunity was open to anyone aged 13 and over, with a disability, living in the Western or Eastern Bay of Plenty. Momenta Chief Executive Shelley Blakey congratulates Koen on winning the Live the Life You Love Award. Momenta Chief Executive Shelley Blakey says the selection panel was looking for applicants who demonstrated clear ambition, personal drive and a goal that would push them outside their comfort zone. 'The application process asked people to present a bold, meaningful goal. There were no strict limitations, and applicants were encouraged to dream big and think creatively. They also needed to show why it mattered to them,' says Shelley. 'We were looking for someone with passion, tenacity and a clear plan. Koen's application ticked every box. His dream has been years in the making, and it was clear that this opportunity would be both life-changing for him and inspiring to others.' 'He's already doing the mahi and has the heart, ambition and the follow-through. Koen's a powerful example of what's possible when people with a lived experience of disability are given the tools and belief to go after a life they love.' Koen's passion for performing began at the age of five. Over the years, he's taken on lead roles in school productions, directed children's theatre, attended the National Youth Drama School for three consecutive years, is a finalist in the Tauranga Performing Arts Competition, and has recently enrolled in Trinity Musical Theatre and Speech and Drama exams. Koen makes it clear his disability doesn't hold him back from doing what he loves. 'I've dreamed about performing on a big stage since I was little,' says Koen. 'I've always been taught that 'I can't' isn't something we say at home, and this award proves that. Just because I have a disability doesn't mean I can't go after something big, and I want others to know that too. This is a huge step towards really making performing arts my future, growing my confidence and encouraging others to set their sights on a really big goal.' Koen is also a strong advocate for inclusion, representing young people with disabilities through the Instep Young Leaders Programme and serving as Arts Leader at his school. He regularly uses his platform to promote disability representation in the arts and encourage others to pursue their passions. To help cover the remaining $7,480 needed for the full cost of the programme, Koen will begin actively fundraising. Supporters can learn more or donate via Any funds raised beyond what's needed for his trip to New York will be donated to the Cerebral Palsy Society. The award funding is held in trust as a long-term endowment through the Acorn Foundation, ensuring its ongoing impact for years to come. Moving forward, the award will be offered annually to help other disabled people across the Bay of Plenty step boldly toward their goals. You can follow Koen's journey and learn more about the Live the Life You Love Award at or on social media @MomentaCharitableTrust
