Jordan Reyne and John Key's dinner date

Jordan Reyne and John Key's dinner date

We are thrilled to welcome Jordan Reyne to the Powertool Records family. Although she now resides in the UK, she keeps her homeland close to heart - and in her song ‘Dear John’, a “woman of a certain age” gives New Zealand Prime Minister John Key a piece of her mind. Proving that no protest goes unnoticed, Reyne was surprised to discover that her political statement was banned from YouTube when the video was first released. Thankfully it's back again!

An ex-pat New Zealander, Jordan moved to the UK, following a long, successful stint in Germany. Described by New Zealand's National Radio as the "author of a new sound", Jordan is a 3-time Tui Award nominee, and has lent her voice to projects ranging from Cafe Del Mar through to Lord of the Rings. She has seven internationally acclaimed albums to her credit and has and toured the UK, USA, Germany, Poland, Scandinavia and New Zealand.

She stays aware of what’s happening here, and recently she was moved to respond to New Zealand’s current political landscape, by writing ‘Dear John’. The song is from her EP ‘Crone’, which is part of a trilogy of EPs called "Maiden, Mother, Crone":

The songs on the ‘Crone’ EP are told from the perspective of a character Reyne calls "the old woman". In contrast to the wisdom bestowed on the old in the past, the modern world often overlooks our older citizens. But the flipside of being off the radar is the freedom to say what you like; so the Crone is a very political figure. She is forthright because nothing is expected of her. She can demand change because she has little to lose.

‘Dear John’ is a story where a politician is invited to a feast by an old woman, yet the other guests are mysteriously absent. As he begins to eat lustily, the location and form of the guests is revealed; serving as a critique about New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key, and his "eat the poor" style politics, and the impact that people who don't recognise their own privilege have on the lives of others. Reyne “crowdsourced” the virtual actors in her song – inviting friends and fans to send their own message to the Prime Minister via an item of food. The participants, while unable to physically present in the video, are there in a ghostly presence.

Watch 'Dear John' here.

Listen to the Crone EP here.

The 'Crone' EP is available digitally now, with CDs here very soon.

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