New Zealand singer and songwriter Rita Mae releases her new single, the stripped back ‘Big Star’, today. Co-written with and produced by the Grammy-nominated NZ-born, LA-based songwriter and producer Leroy Clampitt (Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter), it’s the next single from her upcoming EP Kiss The Sky, out on November 8.

Further highlighting her versatility as an artist, ‘Big Star’ showcases a softer, gentler side, allowing the talented songwriter’s lyricism and melodies to shine. “This is definitely the most stripped down track on the project,” she says. ‘Big Star’ is set in the future in a scenario where the main character has given up everything to chase a dream. It acts like “some kind of warning to myself,” says Rita.

She elaborates: “Follow your dreams but at what cost? I love music. I want my whole life to be music. But I also want love and friendship and happiness and a million other things, and sometimes it feels like “chase your dreams” comes with “and sacrifice everything else!”

Sonically, ‘Big Star’ harks back to Rita Mae’s earlier songs, which were written acoustically in full singer-songwriter style. Although recent releases have seen her branching out to more guitar and drum driven tracks, she returned to basics for this one. ”I enjoy what I’m doing now, working with producers and exploring genres, but I also miss writing in that super raw way, where all that matters are the chords, melodies and lyrics. Writing ‘Big Star’ with Leroy felt like such a relief and a return to the core of who I am as an artist – creating a whole world of a song with a couple instruments and my voice,” she continues.