Geoff Ong's new album 'Maybe It’ll Be Alright'

Auckland-based singer, songwriter, musician, producer - and self-described “pop star for the dorks” - Geoff Ong has today released his debut album, MAYBE IT’LL BE ALRIGHT including title track and new single ’Maybe It’ll Be Alright’

The 10-track album has been a labour of love, which has evolved over a number of years and includes already-released tracks such as ‘Save Me The Weekend’, ‘Fingerprints’ and ‘I Don’t Know’. Collectively the songs have already clocked up thousands of streams, with ‘Fingerprints’, ‘Don't Know You No More’, ‘All The Hours’, ‘Save Me The Weekend’ and ‘Into Into You’ all making the Top 5 in the Official NZ Hot 20 Singles Chart.

To celebrate the release, Ong will be hosting a listening party for all his fans on Sunday November 22 from 4pm, at Movespace on Dominion Rd, Auckland.

Geoff Ong’s songs draw on personal experiences, making them relatable to his audience and MAYBE IT’LL BE ALRIGHT is no exception.

“Making a full-length album feels like a big artistic statement to make, and until this year I don't think I felt ready to do that. But I think I've found a sound and a direction that I really love, and I've made a record that I'm really excited to share with people.”

A jack of all trades (singer, songwriter, musician, producer and more!) Ong has been a part of Auckland’s music scene for the better part of six years. His penchant for creating relatable pop has earned him the respect of his musical peers and seen him amass a fanbase of discerning music aficionados.

“I think in order to explain something, you have to understand it really well, and to explain something in the format of a three-minute pop song you have to understand it really REALLY well! I feel like listeners connect to authenticity in music,” says Ong.

“It is such a powerful artistic medium, because it sneaks its way into our subconscious and teaches us to be comfortable with vulnerability without us even knowing it.”

Born and bred in Auckland, the early beginnings of Ong’s journey in music can be traced back to childhood when he started taking piano lessons. He also has vivid memories of digging into his dad’s record collection. “He had this great collection of music from his time living in London in the 1970s. I remember him showing me everything from Tom Petty to Joni Mitchell to Led Zeppelin to Aretha Franklin. It was like having a time capsule of that particular era of music.”

Throughout school Ong played guitar in a few bands, but it was gaining a scholarship to study at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston in the US, which fuelled his fire to pursue music seriously on his return to New Zealand.

Listen to the album HERE: