We are A.R.T, (A)nastasia, (R)osetta & (T)-R3X. We grew up in Porirua, Wellington, and come from the beautiful island nations of Samoa, Tokelau & Tonga. We’ve been together since we were 11 & 12 years old and have stuck together ever since.
How was A.R.T Created?
How did it come about? We met in intermediate school in 2013 and shared a passion for singing. It started with just jamming here and there, but then we started getting gigs. From there, we made a blood pact to never part ways no matter what. Lol.
What inspires you to make music?
We looooove to sing, and we absolutely love creating harmonies. Writing our own music allows us to be fully creative and gives us the chance to record what’s going on in our heads. When we create music, we’re usually having an intense catch up session brainstorming ideas and talking about feelings, relationships, and what’s happening in the world.
Music is our escape from reality, but it allows us to create an alternative reality. For our recent debut EP ‘Nanas Garage’, we were inspired by childhood memories and the music that we were listening to growing up. We wanted to reimagine them 'A.R.T style' so with the help of our production team The Ikonics and EDYONTHEBEAT, we did just that!
What was your journey like into the music industry as a group?
It has been an absolute whirlwind of a journey. We’ve had so many failures, almost broke up a few times and have managed to stay tight since our start in 2013. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart, having to stay disciplined while navigating 9-5s, family, church and not to mention three differing opinions on literally everything!
The industry is forever changing but we’ve been blessed with our big brothers from our label IKON Music (run by some members of Tomorrow People) who have helped us navigate this journey and adapt to new challenges. We can't wait to see what lies ahead.
Why is it important for young Pacific youth to see other Pacific people following their dreams?
Our Pacific people are doing so well and in so many different areas like sports, films, academic and business to name a few. A.R.T have been so blessed to have Polynesian queens to look up to such as Pacific Soul & Ma-V-Elle. Seeing women who looked like us, thriving in spaces that we wanted to be in, helped shape our confidence and belief in ourselves. One day, we hope that we can be the ones to inspire the next generation of young women.
I’ve read that you are from Poneke. how has growing up in Poneke/Wellington shaped you as Women/musicians?
We grew up in Porirua, a small town filled with big dreams. We were told that to “make it” we needed to move to Auckland, but that just gave us more drive (and stubbornness) to go against the grain and grind even harder while staying put in our hometown. We've blessed to link up with the boys from IKON music who signed us to their indie label. They are also Wellington-proud, and they've helped us develop our sound and mentored us.
What do you want your audience to get from listening to your music?
We want our audience to hear our stories, immerse themselves in the music, and most importantly to feel something inside.
What advice would you give to other young Pacific Artists?
If you find something that you love, pursue it, protect it and find the right community that will help you flourish! It’s not easy, but remember that anything that’s worth doing, is never easy.
