Spencer Coyle just wants Somebody To Love, or at least according to the title and repeated refrain to his latest single. Having previously tested his vocal appeal with covers of a few Justin Bieber tracks, in 2022 the Auckland teen finds himself signed to Six60’s record label and with his new single release included among the tracks on NZ On Air‘s NewTracks compilation this November.

What’s your name, where are you from and what instruments do you play?

My name is Spencer Coyle. I am an 18-year-old artist born and raised in Auckland. I started learning guitar at the age of eight and have picked up several instruments since including drums, bass and piano

Was any high school or other music training especially important?

Not really. My high school had a big focus on jazz and classical music, so pop music wasn’t something that was really taught.

Any other music projects we might know you from?

I was previously a member of a pop band called Spaces.

What’s the background story of how you have come to be an artist? 

I grew an interest in music from a young age. Inspired by Justin Bieber at the age of six, I always knew music was something I wanted to pursue. My love for music has grown ever since and now I have finally launched a solo project. About a year and a half ago I was approached by Six60 guitarist Ji Fraser who took an interest in my work, and we have been working on building and developing my solo music since.

How has your writing music evolved from your beginnings in songwriting?

I started off by writing songs on an acoustic guitar but have since taught myself how to produce music. Now I am able to combine my lyrics with a level of production in order to make a decent-sounding demo. My quality of lyricism has definitely improved as I have been writing and producing more in recent years.

What made you decide to go with Spencer Coyle as your artist name?

I thought it would be cool to just go with my real name. I never really considered having a stage name for my solo music.

Aside from this release, what’s been the big highlight to date?

Definitely signing my first record deal last year. From a young age, this has always been a goal of mine and it feels good that all my hard work over the years has paid off.

What makes Somebody To Love stand out for you as a single?

Somebody To Love is just a high-energy song. I really like the combination of the sad lyrics over the big and dark-sounding production. I would definitely say I have always been drawn to songs with big production.

What is the story behind Somebody To Love?

I wouldn’t say there is much of a story as to why we wrote it. I was in a writing session with Ji Fraser and Somebody To Love was the second song we wrote that day. After wrapping up the first song, we decided to use the last 20 minutes of our session to write as much as we could for another song. Due to the time crunch, we didn’t over analyse any lyrics and just focused on getting the words on paper. We wrote the whole song on an acoustic guitar instead of fussing over production. We managed to finish writing all the lyrics within these 20 minutes and they didn’t change between this day and when we released the single.

What’s your favourite moment, musical or lyrical, of the track?

I love the ad-lib after the bridge leading into the last chorus as it adds another whole layer of energy to the song.

Who did you record/produce the single with and where? 

I wrote the song with Ji Fraser at Six60 studios. We also did a bit of pre-production there with Marlon Gerbes. The song was also produced by Josh Edmonds at Ambient Studios.

How do you generally work out what song would make a good single?

Some songs definitely stick more than others. I will sometimes listen to my songs outside of the studio and if I find myself listening to them a lot then that is definitely a good gauge. However, my main way of working out whether a song is good or not is by getting the opinions of my friends. I will often send my demos to friends for their opinion.

Can you please name three other local tunes that would fit well on a playlist alongside your song.

• Luca George: Ruin My Life
• Mitch James: Stuck in Denial
• Coterie: Shame

Who did you make the single’s video with?

I made this video with Connor Pritchard, who also happens to be my cousin.