Georgia Lines’ popular music web series, INTROS, is being hosted on Rolling Stone AU/NZ for the first time this year.
The new series of INTROS features Lines sitting down with her favourite female and non-binary artists for a relaxed kōrero. Each episode focuses on the artist’s chosen song, delving into the story behind the song and the process of writing, before the artist will treat viewers to a live performance.
In the eighth episode of season three, Lines interviews Crystal Choi, who will already be familiar to Rolling Stone AU/NZ readers.
At the end of last year, Crystal’s band, Phoebe Rings, featured in our Song You Need to Know series for their touching dream pop ballad “아스라이 Aseurai”.
“’아스라이 Aseurai’ is decidedly light and breezy, relaxing into its disco-shimmer grooves at a pleasing pace, offering comfort and cosiness. Lush strings – played by Charmian Keay and Kathleen Tomacruz – enhance the arrangement. There’s a reason that the song was a staple of the band’s live set for two years before its official release,” we wrote of the standalone single.
Crystal and Phoebe Rings followed that up with “Mandarin Tree” in 2024 – their only single of the year to date – a beautifully breezy song that recalls Crumb and Men I Trust.
The Auckland quartet – Crystal is joined by fine local musicians Benjamin Locke (Sea Views), Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent (Lucky Boy^), and Alex Freer (A.C. Freazy) – have only one self-titled EP behind them, but with the band being one of the first recipients of NZ On Air’s New Music Pan-Asian Fund, there will hopefully be a follow-up record on the way soon.
If you want to see Phoebe Rings live, they’ll be playing a free show at Auckland Art Gallery on Sunday, May 19th in celebration of NZ Music Month.
In episode eight of the new season of INTROS, which you can watch above, Lines and Crystal explore life and music in a thoughtful conversation. The latter also performs a stunning song for the host and her viewers.
Last week saw Lines share one final taste of her debut album before the full thing arrives next month.
Titled “Wayside”, Lines’ third and final album single is about “the journey of facing obstacles and uncertainties, urging against complacency and not settling for the easy path… It’s a reminder to stay strong, keep fighting, and hold onto hope, even when things get tough.”
Subscribe to Georgia Lines’ INTROS series here.
