At just 15 Alyahna Sanson-Rejouis has written three-dozen songs in three different languages, busked in New York, performed in front of 7000 people at Opera in the Park and her band JOLA BURNS is in the national finals for Smokefreerockquest. Like the title of her latest song, the Nelson College for Girls student is Going Up, Now.
Words: Felicity Connell
For young Nelson singer-songwriter Alyahna Sanson-Rejouis being creative is something that comes naturally. “I’ve always sung, danced and skipped, ever since I could walk,” she says. She’s taking that natural talent, and through hard work and determination, aiming to make a career in music.
Now 15 and in year 10 at Nelson College for Girls, Alyahna won her first song-writing competition in 2020 when she was 12, taking out the solo/duo category in the national Smokefree Tangata Beats competition with her original song in te reo Māori, Manawa Ora. Further success came in 2021 when Distorted, the fivepiece Year 8 band that she was the lead vocalist for, won the Nelson Bandquest regionals and went on to come third nationally. One of the songs she penned for the band, Te Pai Ki Roto I A Koe, won best original song for primary and intermediate musicians.
In 2022 the Year 9 all-female band Yellowstone she is currently in at Nelson College for Girls, gained the top spot in the regional Smokefree Tangata Beats event with an original song she wrote in te reo Māori, WareWare.
Also in 2022, JOLA BURNS, the pop electronica duo she’s formed with her cousin Kahu Sanson-Burnett, were national Smokefree Rockquest semi-finalists. She’s also been recognized through the Play It Strange Youthtown songwriting competition, with her song Crystal Tears a finalist in 2022, and the waiata Te Mana a finalist in 2023.
While music has always been part of her life, it was participating in kapa haka at primary school that helped give her the confidence to be a performer.
Alyahna went to Te Pouahi, the bilingual unit at Nelson Central School for six years and was involved in kapa haka there. “That was the start of singing and performing on stage for me. We went to three national Te Mana Kuratahi competitions, all in different cities, and performed in front of thousands of people. That experience gave me the confidence to be on stage. Because you're in a group of people, it's not as scary as having all the attention focused on you! And then I realized that I could actually sing. I started doing solos and it pulled me out of my shell a bit more,” Alyahna says.
“I was also in a band at primary school. Obviously, we weren't incredible, but it was super fun and a great experience. But I didn’t have my first formal singing lesson until I was 12, and later that year was when I won Tangata Beats. So, for the past three years I’ve been focused on being a songwriter and musician.”
As part of her prize package for winning Tangata Beats, Alyahna was flown to Auckland to record her song Manawa Ora with audio engineer/producer Christian Tjandrawinata and singer and vocal coach Bella Kalolo.
“It was my first time in a proper recording studio, and it was quite daunting. Before that I'd worked with my singing teacher Dayna Sanerivi and my cousin Kahu who have recording gear set up in their houses.
But being flown to Auckland to record, that was just completely next level. It was kind of scary but fun at the same time. We spent the whole day just recording and playing music. Having Bella as a vocal coach was incredible. The whole process was amazing, getting tips from her and Christian about how to make my song the best it could be. They were able to make it so natural and easy and super fun, and I was in full control about how I wanted the song to sound. It started my love for recording because now any chance I get, I want to record.”
And while she loves the process of recording, she’s still passionate about performing live. Over the past couple of years you may have seen Alyahna perform, either as a solo artist under her stage name Imani-J (a play on her middle names Jola Imani) or in JOLA BURNS, her duo with cousin Kahu. She’s performed at the Ciderfest, Taste Tasman, Tahuna Summer Sounds, Rock the City, Kai Fest, Te Ramaroa, and the Nelson Arts Festival, as well as COMMOTION Youth Music Colab. Her biggest gig so far – performing as JOLA BURNS to over 7,000 people at Nelson’s 2023 Opera in the Park.“Opera in the Park was our biggest performance and our biggest audience, but I wasn't nervous. It didn't really hit me until I got on stage. The whole night before and at the sound check, I was just in awe. I wasn't really focusing on the fact that I actually had to sing in front of all these people. And then I was backstage, and they introduced us, and I was like, ‘oh, I'm actually playing!’ When I got on stage, I saw just crowds and crowds of people – so many people. But as soon as I walked on the stage and started singing, I felt fine. And that massive crowd was a bit of a taster to the kind of audiences I could play to.”
Even when there’s no paid gigs on offer, Alayna still finds the opportunity to perform. “I do some busking – usually in town or at the market. Kahu and I also set up at the annual Founders Book Fair. It helps keep people entertained when they’re waiting in line.” she laughs.
During a recent trip to the USA to visit relatives, Alyahna tried her hand at busking for an international audience. “It was more successful than I thought it would be. Everybody was so supportive. And now I can say I've busked in San Francisco and in New York City – how cool is that.”
While the band Yellowstone is currently on a hiatus, Alyahna is keen to keep performing as part of a band.
“All three acts that I'm in are very different. When I play as Imani-J by myself, it’s acoustic guitar or piano with a singer songwriter, ballad-y kind of feel. And then with JOLA BURNS it's electronic, dancey, upbeat and really fun. And the band is more pop rock.”
Her musical influences are also wide-ranging.
“I've always loved Billie Eilish. I saw her concert in Auckland, that was incredible. I love her music and I love all the things she stands for. I also like oldschool artists like Sade and Amy Winehouse - I take little bits of their style and incorporate them in what I do. In terms of overall career, someone who I find inspiring is Zendaya. She does everything - acting, modeling, singing, and dancing.”
Alyahna writes songs in te reo Māori, French and English, and she finds the creative process differs, depending on what language she’s writing in.
“When I write in te reo Māori, I will generally write all the lyrics first because then I can have a cohesive idea of the song. Because te reo Māori is not my first language, it can be harder to make it flow and make it more natural, and I find it easier to match the melody with the lyrics. I also think the feel of the song is really different because te reo Māori is a very poetic language, so what I write in te reo Māori wouldn’t make sense directly translated in English.
It's also super important to have someone who's a fluent te reo Māori speaker go over and double check that you are saying what you want to be saying. When I write songs in English, the lyrics, the melody and the chords just kind of all come at once. So, for me, there's definitely a lot more thought and process that goes into writing in te reo Māori.”
Alyahna has 34 songs registered with APRA/AMCOS, New Zealand’s music licensing and royalties’ organisation, and at least five more songs on the go.
“I’m constantly writing down lyric ideas on my phone and I have long lists of words and thoughts that inspire my song writing,” she explains. “Writing lyrics is my way of commenting on what’s happening around me, and then anything that comes to mind! I write songs for myself as well as about and for other people, like when I wrote a song for my granddad for his 80th birthday. It’s really satisfying performing my own songs because I know everything about them.”
Alyahna has also collaborated with other local singersongwriters.
“I love songwriting with other people because you get to bounce off other people and explore their ideas. The song you get is so different to anything you would have created on your own,” she says.
Music isn’t Alyahna’s only creative outlet – she loves to dance as well.
“Contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip hop, musical theatre – basically all the styles you can think of! I’ve just started entering dance competitions this year, and it’s been super fun. Dance and music are my thing – I feel they go hand in hand, and I want to keep doing both as I grow up.”
Alyahna’s nine-year-old brother is also a budding musician, who drums and plays guitar. “We just muck around together, singing fun stuff, with him on drums and me on guitar. He sings my songs around the house, and I can hear him singing at my gigs – it’s pretty cute.”
Between family, school, music and dance, Alyahna’s schedule is pretty packed, but she still makes time to enjoy the Nelson lifestyle.
“Everything is so close, and there’s a good mix of things to do. I have a lot of freedom and I'm able to just really enjoy every moment. I can walk into town or catch the bus out to the beach - I love summer!
Her advice to others considering music as a career – take all the opportunities that you can.
“I'm still figuring this all out myself, but I think putting in the work helps – writing lots and gigging lots. Every opportunity that you get asked to play, take it, because each gig leads to another gig.
Sometimes being as young as I am can be an issue with gigs at wine and food festivals, but my mum comes everywhere with me, so I can do those types of gigs. Having her support is awesome. She stands up for me and teaches me to stand up for myself.”
“I’d also advise young creatives to enter any competitions that you can – even if you don’t win, there are so many positives that come from taking part, and you never know what’s going to happen.
Winning Tangata Beats and recording Manawa Ora kickstarted my whole journey – I got amazing coverage and gigs just after that one experience.
I’m really grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had and the support I’ve received. Events like Smokefree Rockquest and Tangata Beats, and Play It Strange, and the people who run them, are so good at encouraging you and boosting your confidence.”
2023 has brought more national recognition, with Alyahna’s song Peace Inside Your Arms making the finals of the Play It Strange Peace Song competition, meaning her song will be professionally recorded and will appear on the 2023 Peace Song digital album available via Spotify. JOLA BURNS have made it through the first online entries stage of Smokefree Rockquest 2023 and will be submitting three songs for the national final selection round.
“For me, I'm keen to continue to play and release my music. If I could make a career in music; I would be so happy. That’s the goal.”
With her talent, quiet confidence and strong work ethic, you’ll definitely be hearing more from Alyahna in the future. Right now, you can listen to Manawa Ora and Crystal Tears on Spotify by searching Imani-J, and look out for JOLA BURNS’ debut single, Going Up Now, released on 4 August, with a further five singles to be released before the end of the year.
@imanijmusic @jolaburnsmusic
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