Pacific sunset sessions: Basking in the golden hour with new sounds

As the days get shorter and the evenings start to cool, there’s still a way to hold onto that summer feeling a little longer.

Pacific artists are stepping in with new releases that feel like golden hour.

So, as we welcome the weekend, here are new releases by Pacific artists to help you hold onto that warmth.

The return of Sammielz

After a break from the spotlight for several years, urban reggae artist Sammielz is back in Aotearoa New Zealand with two new tracks and an album on the way later this year.

His return shows a more open and personal side, leaning into an honest, soul sound. For the release of True Love, Sammielz said in a social media post that he was unsure if he’d ever be “brave enough to share it”.

“A lot of the songs you’ll hear from me this year were written during some of the hardest moments of my life, but they also became part of my healing.

"They remind me that even in the darkest seasons, growth is still happening,” his post said.

Sammielz told NiuFM’s The Rush that his most recent single, Not Around, explores the pull of new feelings while being in a complicated relationship.

“It's about being in a relationship and things are not going so well, but then you see someone and you feel some type of way about that someone. But it's tough because you're still in a relationship, but it's complicated.

“So when that person is not around, you're always wondering whether they're happy or how they're doing and kind of a bit of the jealousy comes in because you're not too sure what they're up to and all that sort of thing.”

Magic nights in 'Your Company'

Kyla Greening (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Tainui, Rangitane) releases a slow-dance R&B track that captures the quiet magic of simply being with someone who feels like home.

A musical polymath raised in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, Greening grew up on church hymns and kapa haka.

Greening said in a statement that Your Company wrote itself, "Riffing effortlessly from a night of good food, good people, and a spontaneous writing session at home".

"It’s a warm, cozy anthem for anyone who’s ever thought, ‘all I really want is you'."

Watch Corrella's Te Naawe Tupe's full interview below.

Corrella brings festival energy

Hitting us with the summer music festival vibe is Corrella with their sun-soaked new single, Under the Covers, a feel-good track shaped by life on the road.

Fresh off a massive summer tour with reggae icons UB40, the band continues to build their mix of roots, soul, and funk.

Te Naawe Tupe, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and lead vocalist on the track, says it was inspired by the buzz of live shows and festival crowds.

“I think everyone has had experience seeing people acting a little bit more mysteriously than what they should be at the parties. I think the song is dedicated to those fun people,” Tupe tells Pacific Days.

Corrella has been in studio with producer Tiane Christian Mausia, who has produced for the late George Fiji Veikoso, working towards their third album.

Alpine ambience: The sound of Ilaheva

The Tongan/Swedish/United Kingdom duo Ilaheva, made up of Tongan alpine skier Kasete Skeen and Melina Malke, have dropped their new EP Spirit Light.

A fusion of ambient pop and electronic dance music (EDM) that reflects life in the mountains of Northern Sweden with tracks like Only This Day, Under the Sky, and Sapphire.

It’s a different kind of Pacific sound - one shaped by distance, nature, and reflection but still grounded in identity and connection.