Stewart ALLAN

Stewart Allan is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Aotearoa, New Zealand. He has performed behind the Iron Curtain, toured Japan and New Zealand, wrote, directed and composed for stage and screen, sings, plays guitar, piano and sitar, and now he is a Rattle artist.

As a composer, he has been offered several commissions for orchestra, choirs and large-scale multi-media live performances including a Centenary theme and a water ballet. His choral works have been performed on national radio and television, and in 2012 he served as the musical director of The Big Rethink at Q Theatre.

Stewart’s album, 9 Rooms, is scheduled for release in early-June. Working closely with producer and ambient guitarist, Arli Liberman, Stewart managed to capture the elusive sound world he has sought for his music for more than a decade.

The first single from the album, “Shall We Dance”, is an infectious celebration of life. For the video (see below), Stewart wrote to many friends around the world asking them to send in a video of them dancing to the track. He and filmmaker Sammy Riley used the footage to create a video that perfectly complements the life-affirming music.

ALBUM PREVIEW PAGE

shall we dance

Bringing people from all corners of the globe together at a time when the world has never been further apart, this video features 109 dancers aged from 8 months to 77 years old, all busting moves in 14 countries across 6 continents. The music is brought to life by a range of dance styles, from flamenco and popping to bachata and the NZ finger point. In a world where dancing is prohibited in many countries and optimism for the future is at a low ebb, there has never been a better time to ask, “Shall we dance?”

CLICK THE ALBUM COVERS TO WATCH VIDEOS

silver wings

A rich tapestry of nuanced and emotive sound, Silver Wings is an expression of life-affirming optimism at a time of significant change and uncertainty.

The song recalls the feelings Stewart had on the eve of returning to New Zealand after many years in Adelaide (Australia), of gazing at a coastline that stretched as far as one could see, beyond which lay an unknown tomorrow, the 'silver wings' of a new life to come in Aotearoa. The song is dedicated to all those who determine to embark on new adventures.

glow

Glow, uses animation as a perfect visual accompaniment for a narrative about innocence and discovery.

There are times in our lives when we are compelled to concentrate on what’s most important, and this song is a reminder that the most precious gift we have is family/whanau.

new moon

Inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, Stewart’s fourth single, New Moon, follows the journey of a missile and its destruction, reminding us that all over the world innocence is decimated daily due to war, with consequences often lasting for generations.