Hailing from Titahi Bay, New Zealand, award-winning NZ Māori Country Music Artist, Ainslie Allen (Rongowhakaata) is truly a compelling and rare artist. She is a performer with passion and style, a singer with hauntingly beautiful vocals, and a songwriter with depth and vulnerability. She is an artist who is not afraid to tackle difficult issues and make you feel emotion, and she is one of the most magnetic and inspiring artists New Zealand Country Music has ever come across. She wrote her first song at age 8 and at 12 she entered Country Music Awards, winning her first guitar. By 15 she was a lead on TV2's hit series, McDonald's Young Entertainers. Promoting her Debut Album ‘Betty’, on the nationwide ‘Betty Tour’ Summer 2021. Ainslie chats with Gman on Big Brekkie.
From a young age, Ainslie honed in on her talents. Her first professional singing engagement was for Sir Edmond Hillary, and with a passion for country music, she successfully competed throughout New Zealand, channeling the spirit of Patsy Cline. Ainslie continues, "Mum did everything she could for us and I want her to always know that she is appreciated. She is the heart and soul of our whānau. I think a lot of us can relate to being raised by a strong wāhine who had obstacles to overcome and only now that I'm a Mum, I realise how hard it must have been for her."
Ainslie uncovered her passion for country music at a young age and always knew she wanted to be a singer. She wrote her first song at age 8 and at 12 she entered the Country Music Awards, winning her first guitar. By 15 she was a regular on TV2's hit series, McDonald's Young Entertainers. Her first paid singing engagement was for Sir Edmond Hillary when she was 16. She sang her first National Anthems for the All Blacks and Springboks at 17. She is a graduate of Whitireia Performing Arts, WPAC Screen Acting, and the CMAA Academy of Country Music. She has performed gigs from weddings to war zones. She writes her own music and lyrics and is currently mixing her upcoming album 'Betty' with Ben Edwards at the Sitting Room. I've always been proud to say that I am tangata whenua of Aotearoa.