Kaylee Bell is finishing NZ Music Month on a high note with the release of not one but two singles.
Double single “Me for Me” and “Once in a Lifetime” were both performed live for the first time at the historic debut concert at Ōtautahi Christchurch’s brand-new One New Zealand Stadium, where Bell played alongside Six60, Synthony, and more.
“Me for Me”, written by Bell with help from Navvy and Tom Jordan, is accompanied by a music video filmed in Queensland with Cowgirls Australia.
The music video for “Once in a Lifetime”, meanwhile, was filmed at the aforementioned Christchurch concert, capturing one of the biggest moments of Bell’s career so far.
Of “Me for Me”, Bell says: “We wrote it over summer while Navvy was back from London, where she is a full-time songwriter, and Tom was back from Nashville, and we wanted to write a love song that was about waiting for your person so that you’re not settling for less.
“It’s basically about finding your person later in life after waiting — something a lot of my friends and females I know relate to. That age-old story of these days you are better off being on your own instead of settling so you don’t get disappointed.”
“Once in a Lifetime” was created so that Bell had “something to mark the night — something that would outlive it.”
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“The song and the video together are a time capsule — a moment in time we can hold onto forever.”
Bell now turns her attention to Tussock Country Music Festival in Gore, where she will be inducted into the NZ Gold Guitar Awards Hands of Fame on Sunday (May 31st).
The prestigious Hands of Fame, established by the Gore Country Music Club in 1992, recognises individuals who have made outstanding contributions to country music in New Zealand, with Bell‘s handprint joining a distinguished list of inductees including Tami Neilson, Jodi Vaughan, Kylie Harris, and The Warratahs.
Bell attended the Aotearoa Music Awards in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland last night (May 28th), where she narrowly lost out to Neilson in the Best Country Music Artist category.
Following her Hands of Fame induction, Bell heads to Nashville next month for CMA Fest, which will be her 16th year attending the iconic event.
Bell’s most recent album, Cowboy Up, featured in our year-end New Zealand albums list in 2025.
“New Zealand’s country-pop superstar just can’t stop collecting landmark moments… Case in point: she followed Nights Like This, a top 3 hit in 2024, with Cowboy Up one year later, not content to wait to unleash more rollicking country anthems.
“Despite being such a swift follow-up, Cowboy Up isn’t marked by a decrease in quality, with ‘Song for Shania’ and the title track sounding as good as anything Bell has previously released,” we praised.
Kaylee Bell’s “Me for Me” and “Once in a Lifetime” are out now.
