Releases 30th July 2026After releasing her singles ‘Bring It Back/Without You’, ‘Capsized’ and ‘Shine Your Light’, Mānuka Recordings is pleased to present Andy, the debut album from Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based singer-songwriter Romi Wrights. An expansive tribute to love, heartbreak, loss, and reconnection, told through twelve exquisite songs, Andy is a multilayered meditation on the many joys and pains we all experience over the course of a life well lived.Co-written with her longtime collaborator, the composer, arranger, producer, and Mānuka Recordings co-founder Kenny Sterling, Andy was recorded in Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, and Dublin, with some of the finest modern instrumentalists and backing vocalists in Aotearoa and Ireland, including members of Clear Path Ensemble, Leao, The Circling Sun, and some of Wrights’ nearest and dearest.Although the album explores the highs and lows of romantic and familial love, the red thread running through it is the story of her close friendship with the late Andrea Orani, also known as DJ Andyheartthrob. During the precious years they shared, Orani was one of the first to really see Wrights’ talent and make her believe there was a place for her music in the world. Since she passed away, Wrights has come to see the songs she wrote in honour of Orani’s light as a beacon of inspiration for all who hear them.Presented through the cinematic sensibilities of silky-smooth '60s soul music, southern-fried '70s funk, jazz fusion, and vintage dub reggae, Andy is a towering work and a significant moment for Wrights, Mānuka Recordings, and their community. From the opening piano flourishes and flutes of ‘Search To Find’, to the funky drumming that drives ‘Rain or Shine’ and the ornate woodwinds and strings that close out ‘Special’, every instrumental is perfectly positioned to support Wrights’ voice as she moves from quiet to epic, often within the same song.Tracked between Roundhead Studios, Aesium Music House, Fiachra Kinder, and Zeal West, Andy was mixed and produced at Sterling Studios before being mastered by Josh Llewellyn at Downbeat Mastering, in loving memory of Andyheartthrob. The album is available on streaming, digital download, and vinyl LP formats. Written & Performed by Romi WrightsComposed, Arranged & Co-Written by Matthew HunterProduced, Composed and Mixed by Kenny SterlingMastered by Josh Llewellyn @ Downbeat MasteringRoundhead Sessions Engineered by De StevensAssistant Engineered by Maison FaireyEngineered & Additional Engineering by Kenny Sterling
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