Currency tells the story of a break-up where the people realise possessions and money are not as important as they are to each other.
"That’s something that I’ve kind of come across a lot, just by making connections and all over New Zealand, those relationships are special, and they stick with you right to the end, even during the tough times.
"That’s the idea that I really want to promote with this song and hopefully a lot of people make that same connection."
Kuresa has been performing since he was 4 years old — singing and speaking developed about the same time.
"Singing in church has had a massive influence on my music and things like listening to my dad play the guitar ...
"So growing up in that environment definitely made a big impact on the way I want my music to sound and the way it all weaves together."
His musical family encouraged him to take up opportunities to sing in church as well as school and choir productions.
"My siblings were also pretty good singers as well, probably better than me.
"To be fair, I wasn’t always the best singer. I was watching videos back then, and I was shocking. But I always knew that something in the music industry or the arts industry is what I wanted my future to look like."
Lessons and hard work grew his abilities, so did Wellington’s Massey University music studies as well as spending some time tucked under the mentoring wings of Parachute Music in Auckland.
His new single will be his third.
He launched his debut single Across the Ocean in February 2023 which achieved the No7 spot on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart.
A collaboration with Auckland-based friends featured on Make it Last, his second.
He believed his genre was a fusion of many styles of music, including R&B, gospel and soul/pop.
Currency features funky drums, church organs and electric guitars.
"It’s a very fresh sound and hard to put your finger on when you’re talking genres."
- By Toni McDonald
