Budding Kiwi Musician Busking on Queen Street with Big Dreams
At just 19, Auckland-based singer-songwriter Saem Millward is busking his way into New Zealand's music industry.
Originally from Palmerston North, Saem’s musical story began at age 13 when he sat down at a keyboard, picking up melodies by ear before moving into classical piano lessons.
High school brought a new chapter. Inspired by watching the school choir perform, he joined them before auditioning and landing a spot in the 2023-24 New Zealand Secondary Students Choir.
Having found his voice, he officially caught the music bug in Year 13 with a song he wrote called I Don't Wanna Change for an NCEA Internal exam. But what began as an assignment, soon became his first recorded work.
"I liked it so much that I got it recorded by local producer Hayden Lauridson, with the help of some of my musically talented friends on the instruments," Saem said.
In the summer of 2024, Saem hit the streets of Auckland, busking in the style of Sinatra and Bublé. He got such a good reception that you’ll now often find him on Queen Street performing between classes at the University of Auckland, where he's studying Law and Classical Singing as a conjoint degree.
With his feet firmly marching toward the New Zealand music industry, his interest and talent among various genres is what makes his style unique.
"I think my interest and participation in a variety of genres such as jazz, pop, RnB, classical, musical theatre sets me apart from other musicians set to one genre."
What next? Saem hopes to make it in the music industry somehow.
"I'm ultimately hoping to be a multi-media artist of some sort... I would love to branch out into writing, acting, art design, production, and anything else artistic. Anything but an office job!"
He's just getting started, but there’s something grass-roots and honest about his approach to making it in the industry, which I love!
Stay away from the office jobs, Saem - we're excited to see what comes next for you in the creative sector.
Follow his story on TikTok (saem207), Insta (saemmusicnz) and YouTube (saemmusicnz).
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