"Safe Way to Fall" single - Arjuna Oakes
Safe Way To Fall is a collaboration from Arjuna Oakes and renowned composer John Psathas. The song is an exploration of what it means to be vulnerable and yearning to create a space where yourself and others can express themselves truthfully. Featuring a heartfelt vocal performance, lush piano and strings, and a hypnotic soundscape, the song expresses a sentiment that to be vulnerable is to be strong.
Safe Way To Fall was written in a secluded Bach among the sand dunes of Waitarere one morning while Arjuna and John were sharing musical ideas at the piano. By the end of the day, they had finished writing and recording the song, giving it an 'in the moment' feel. This song is the first of many for Arjuna and John, who are already working on other projects.
Arjuna Oakes is a singer-songwriter and producer based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand). Following the release of his debut EP The Watcher in 2019, Arjuna has released another two projects both to widespread acclaim, 2020’s Recovery Pt.1 and 2021’s First Nights. The latter is a collaboration with longtime friend and co-producer Serebii, released by LA-based record label Innovative Leisure (Badbadnotgood, Bambii). First Nights debuted at #5 on KCRW’s Top 30 Albums chart, and has had extensive play on BBC6 and BBC1xtra.
With an act comprising some of New Zealand’s most exciting young jazz musicians, Arjuna and his band have been exciting live audiences the last couple of years with a string of sold out shows, appearances at some of NZ’s top music festivals and recently featured as one of Assembly Festival’s digital programme in this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Arjuna was a recipient of the inaugural New Zealand Arts Foundation Springboard Award (2020) and received a year’s mentoring from renowned NZ composer John Psathas.
Find out more about Arjuna Oakes here: www.arjunaoakes.com
NZ-Greek composer John Psathas shot to worldwide attention when his music was heard by an audience of more than a billion during the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate has achieved a level of international success unprecedented for a New Zealand composer, his music has moved concert audiences in more than 50 countries on all 7 continents, even Antarctica. He is now also considered one of the three most important living composers of the Greek Diaspora. When glancing over Psathas’ career, one element impossible to overlook is the scope and sheer variety of his collaborations.
He has collaborated on a Billboard classical chart-topping album with System of a Down front man Serj Tankian, crossed into jazz in projects with luminaries Michael Brecker and Joshua Redman, and the list goes on. There are few composers who cross the boundaries of musical genres to the extent that Psathas does, and with such ongoing global success.