Teen’s career is jammed with awards
Sixteen-year-old Peyton Morete has been making music since she was nine – and it shows.
Over the last few years, she’s racked up awards from Smokefree Rockquest, the annual Pride Awards and Ka¯ piti’s Champion of Change awards.
‘‘I’ve always been a kid who’s been into all the artsy stuff like music, painting and drama. It wasn’t until I was around nine that I first wrote my song – Winner or Loser,’’ the Paraparaumu teen said.
The inspiration for a lot of her work came from watching the lives of people around her and weaving it into songs.
Before long, her songs became a platform for her to share her thoughts, whether that was dealing with growing up, bullying or family violence – themes common in her music.
To write her songs, the starting process is relatively simple: ‘‘I grab the guitar out and have a jam. I find chords I’m OK with, then just start singing.’’
Then comes the trickier bit – revising it until she’s happy with it.
But the method works for her and she has already released one EP and hopes to release another one within the next three years.
When she won the Champion of Change last year, she won the chance to have her song Little Guys recorded, produced and mixed by Lee Prebble of Surgery Studio and Barnaby Weir of the Black Seeds.
‘‘It’s basically a song I wrote promoting healthy relationships, whether that’s with a partner or family,’’ she said.
Peyton was one of eight teens selected out of 120 nationwide last year to take part in the Pinnacle Programme, a mentoring programme for high achievers run by former Silver Fern Bernice Mene.
The programme runs for three years. As part of it, Peyton has already sailed on a ship as part of the Spirit of Adventure Trust. In her final year, Peyton will be mentored by someone in the music industry.
But before she gets there, Peyton’s next gig will be singing to crowds in Lower Hutt as part of the Summer in the Dowse series, running every Sunday afternoon from February 10 to March 3.