Aotearoa / New Zealand via London singer and songwriter Molly Payton has introduced her new single and music video, Honey, which was also her first music of 2021.

The London based 19-year old is currently in her homeland of New Zealand, where she completed the track remotely w,ith her frequent collaborator Oli Barton-Wood (Nilüfer Yanya, Porridge Radio, Sorry), as well as Grammy-award winning producer Jimmy Hogarth (Sia, Amy Winehouse) and British songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich.

Honey follows Payton’s breakout EP Porcupine, released last Autumn to wide critical acclaim, which led to her being flagged as one to watch by the likes of Pigeons & Planes, Dork, The Line of Best Fit, Steve Lamacq at 6Music and Jack Saunders at BBC Radio 1. Moreover, it caught the ears of fellow artists, including Arlo Parks, who chose Payton to appear alongside her takeover of Spotify’s Our Generation playlist, commenting of Payton’s music, “There was just this sense of rawness and earnestness that really reminded me of things that I’ve lived myself.”

While Porcupine celebrated the freedom and chaos of Payton’s young adulthood, navigating her new city of London in her first year after high school, the introspective tone of Honey hints at a coming of age. Payton said that the hidden message of the song was to encourage people not to give themselves away and learn to support the people they love.

The thematic shift is one that mirrors Payton’s return to her roots. Originally intended to be a short stay, her time in New Zealand was extended as UK lockdowns prevailed. As well as spending time with the friends and places she left as a teenager, it also fuelled her resolution to reconnect with the memories and tribulations of her past, and process them through her songwriting.

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