Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland singer-songwriter HINA is continuing to bring her debut album Descending Dreams to life, today unveiling the official music video for “River to Mouth”.
The artist, whose real name is Amy Boroevich (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Raukawa), released her debut record in July, marking a major milestone for one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rising voices. Recorded live at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios with a seven-piece band and four-piece string ensemble, the album moves between indie-rock, alt-country and pop, exploring themes of identity, belonging and personal growth.
“River to Mouth” reflects on Indigenous experiences and the realities of living in a post-colonial society, while celebrating resilience and the strength to move forward. Directed by Andy Morton, the accompanying video brings those themes to the screen through a deeply personal collaboration.
Filmed at a working flower farm in Ahuroa, the video brought together HINA’s family and friends alongside Morton’s. Despite freezing temperatures and the singer battling the flu during filming, the experience proved particularly emotional for the songwriter, she says.
“Something caught in my chest just watching the shot on the monitor, and I completely teared up,” she recalls. “I think it was a mixture of how perfectly everything captured the kaupapa of the song, and how incredible it was to have this whole team of people working on a video for a song I’d written in my bedroom.
“It was incredibly moving and something I will forever treasure.”
“River to Mouth” joins tracks like “India”, “Hope Has Teeth”, and “Back to the Fire” on Descending Dreams – which HINA has played for Rolling Stone AU/NZ‘s In My Room session.
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Check out the new music video below, and HINA’s In My Room session above.
