3

Papua New Guinea-born, Sydney-based artist Ngaiire’s *3* is intensely personal, powerful, and reflective. The future-soul artist, born Ngaire Joseph, co-wrote the album over three years with producer Jack Grace. And though her music has always come from the heart, it’s never looked further inward, or toward her heritage, than here. Likewise, her musical boundaries feel more expansive than ever—hip-hop and R&B inflections can be felt throughout, while Ngaiire pushes her voice to bigger, broader places than ever before. She addresses her upbringing in post-colonial PNG on tracks like “Closer,” a sensual, retro-sounding rumination on love, sex, and dating during her teen years. “Boom” is a slinking earworm that similarly looks back on romance and relationships during her early years, while final track “Glitter” looks at modern-day PNG and points a middle finger up at its political leadership.

Tying electronic pop with older traditions, Ngaiire’s new release is bright, alive and soulful, reaching back to her roots as it looks to the future