Sensual yet firm. Floaty yet grounded. Mukukā’s latest single ANGEL marks the first release from an upcoming body of work she describes as “emotionally precise and experimental.”

“It is a sonic series defined by hypnotic guitars, honest lyricism, and full creative authorship,” says the singer, songwriter and creative director.

Born in Zambia and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, Mukukā identifies this moment as her “sexy era” — a confident evolution of sound and self. The track signals a return to form following several years of creative pause brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before lockdown, she had been steadily working toward an album she began conceptualising at fifteen. “The plan was to go to uni and then start becoming an artist — whatever that means,” she recalls. When the pandemic halted her release and performance schedule, that early project never reached the public.

The live debut of ANGEL came in October, during Mukukā’s opening set on Tusekah’s Australia–New Zealand tour. Introducing the song, she reflected on older, unreleased material — much of it written in the aftermath of heartbreak. “You lied to me and now you made a good girl go to hell,” she sings on the chorus — a line that encapsulates the shift from innocence to empowerment central to her current work.

Produced by Auckland-based sonic architect Shamplooh (Tyler O’Neill Trench), ANGEL fuses alternative rock with subtle R&B textures. The result is both a departure from and a return to the artist’s roots — bold in tone, yet intimate in delivery.

Mukukā’s creative process remains deeply hands-on, extending beyond songwriting into production and visual direction. “I wrote the song on my producer’s couch, with his sweet dog Lula right next to me,” she says. “We built it slowly layer by layer, draft after draft, and many cups of tea later, ANGEL was born. It’s my favourite song-child so far.”

“Everything I make comes from a sentimental place,” she explains. “Whether it’s the artwork, the lyrics, or the energy in the room — it all really matters to me and my art.”

Behind the scenes, Mukukā continues to nurture a small but loyal community through her mailing list, The Guest List — a space where fans have followed her gradual re-emergence and artistic reinvention.

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Check out the Q&A at the Angel listening party below: