Theia returns with spine tingling new single 'Pray 4 Me'

Aotearoa singer-songwriter Theia has returned with her first new solo music in over two years with the remarkable new single ‘Pray 4 Me’.

The first taste of an upcoming larger project, the single is a gorgeously pared back, almost ethereal, track which combines sweet, music-box sounds with emotive lyrics, soaring angelic backing vocals and quite possible the greatest vocal performance we have ever heard from Theia. Lyrically, the song is raw and confronting as she sings about painful experiences from her youth: “I got a tattoo when i was eighteen / You thought that I was possessed / You tried to change me / Tie a rope in a noose just to feel a little,” she sings.

“This is the first time I’ve ever released a ballad as Theia and I’m acutely aware that it’s probably not what people will expect from me after my last release [2020’s 99% ANGEL], which was in-your-face high energy alt-pop. But this is no less me. It’s just another side to what I feel I have to offer as a songwriter and a singer,” Theia says.

‘Pray 4 Me’ comes after a two-and-a-half year hiatus during which Theia launched her critically acclaimed reo Māori project, TE KAAHU, and the album Te Kaahu O Rangi , and is the first of many new singles Theia plans to reveal in the coming months. She will also celebrate her return with an all new live show at Auckland’s Big Gay Out on February 12, followed by the coveted Saturday night slot on the main stage at Splore on February 25, and her Cuba Dupa debut in Wellington on Saturday, March 25.

Ever since her breakthrough 2016 hit ‘Roam’ (14 million streams to date on Spotify alone), Theia has become one of New Zealand’s most magnetic performers. With a talent that allows her to effortlessly switch from hardcore alt-pop to lush electropop and now heartbreaking ballads, Theia makes music to treasure for every mood. She is an artist that overall makes you feel and this next chapter in her career is going to be extremely exciting to witness.

‘Pray 4 Me’ is out now. You can download and stream here.

To keep up with all things Theia, you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.