Romi Wrights, Andy
Mānuka Recordings is pleased to present Andy, the debut album from Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based singer-songwriter Romi Wrights.
Selected Works is a weekly (usually) newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell, aka Yours Truly. Most weeks, Selected Works consists of a recap of what I’ve been doing lately, along with some of what I’ve been listening to and reading, paired with film photographs I’ve taken, plus some bonuses. All of that said, sometimes, it takes completely different forms.
This is a big one. Today, my friends at Mānuka Recordings announced Andy, the debut album from Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based singer-songwriter Romi Wrights. It’s due for release in vinyl, digital and streaming formats on the 30th of July 2026. Thanks again to Dylan, Matt and Lisa for bringing me in for the copywriting.
After 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 well-lived life.
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 truly see Wright’s talent and to 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.
Although the album isn’t out yet, they’ve unlocked a new single today, ‘Rain Or Shine’. Here’s a few words about it.
‘Rain or Shine’ channels the platonic ideal of a 1960s love song, reimagined through soul/R&B singer-songwriter Romi Wrights, her producer Kenny Sterling, and the extended Mānuka Recordings family’s glorious South Pacific lens.
Driven by an uptempo rhythm section and bright, propulsive horns, the song’s throwback instrumental provides a polished backdrop for Romi’s velvety tones and the ascendant refrains of her all-star backing vocalists. It’s a ray of musical sunshine, a golden late-summer glow that cuts through any weather.
Because ‘Rain or Shine’ is a Romi Wrights song, it expands love beyond romance alone. It’s a whānau love song, a friendship love song, and a reminder to anyone who’s fallen out of love with themselves to find their way home. Sometimes, when things are tough, all we need is the chance to see ourselves the way someone else does. As Romi sings, “Has anybody told you, told you, your eyes could stop time?”
FIN.