Tommy Nee Releases Single to Benefit Youth Homelessness

Auckland Singer & songwriter Tommy Nee releases a single Walk With You to raise awareness and fundraise to end youth homelessness.

Tommy has written the song for the Lifewise Big Sleepout campaign with all the funds raised from downloads going towards ending youth homelessness. Walk With You can be downloaded from https://lifewise.bandcamp.com/

The Lifewise Big Sleepout is taking place on Thursday 6th July with over 100 leaders and influencers from business, community and political spheres stripped of their creature comforts to spend a night on cold concrete at the AUT City Campus. They will get an insight into what it means to sleep rough while raising critical funds to tackle youth homelessness.

Walk With You was commissioned by Big Sleepout participant Sarah Trotman ONZM, and is a song on the challenges those experiencing homelessness face. Sarah, a respected business leader has a participant in the Big Sleepout for the last eight years. She met Niuean soul, pop artist Tommy last year, loved what she heard and asked him to write her a single for the 2017 Big Sleepout campaign. The single recounts Sarah’s experiences with homelessness from owning a boarding house in Auckland in the early 2000s, to helping a young mother with two children sleeping in a garage.

“Over the years I’ve had many encounters with the homeless community in Auckland. Owning a boarding house I learnt many life lessons, and that luck has so much to do with how we live our lives. There are too many homeless people in our country, we need to be part of the solution,” says Sarah.

Tommy was the recent winner of the Vodafone Pacific Music Award’s 2017 - most promising artist, - he uses his music to invoke discussion and challenge the status quo.

“Homelessness is a topic close to me. I believe music is powerful beyond words and I wanted to be part of positive change. We need to start talking about youth homelessness and actually do something about it,” says Tommy.

It is estimated that there more than 41,000 people in New Zealand have no place to call home. Over half of New Zealand's homeless are under 25. One quarter are children.

Accordingly to Lifewise CEO Moira Lawler: “Unless something is done, youth homelessness will continue to increase. Our most vulnerable are hit the hardest by the housing crisis. Most of the homeless youth Lifewise meets are teenagers, left to fend for themselves. Homelessness could rob these young people of a future.”

By donating to the Lifewise Big Sleepout, you’ll be helping solve homelessness in an empowering and sustainable manner.Donate today at www.bigsleepout.org.nz

ENDS

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