Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post / Lifestyle

Music review: Hailee Steinfeld, HAIZ

Kim Gillespie
Kim Gillespie
Editor: NZME Community Publications Network·NZME. regionals·
16 Jan, 2016 05:00 PMQuick Read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

Actress Hailee Steinfeld joined in the vocal gymnastics in the capella-singing movie Pitch Perfect 2, so it's not too much of a stretch to see her kicking off a pop career.

HAIZ is Steinfeld's debut release, an EP with four tracks including the single Love Myself (a companion piece to Justin Bieber's Love Yourself?), a dance-pop anthem to self-powerment and/or teenage activities.

Lyrics aside, its shouty backing vocals recall the Naked & Famous song Young Blood, or various cheerleader chants from Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne songs, while the breathy verses are more Selena Gomez territory.

Hell Nos and Headphones is equally catchy, and also speaks to the young and disaffected, with sad lyrics about partying, drugs, alcohol and isolation. It is a more fun song that it sounds (and also addresses self-empowerment), but perhaps the track Rock Bottom is more uplifting ("We're on the right side of rock bottom ... We're on the good side of bad karma cause we keep on coming back for more.)

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And to be fair this EP should have pop fans coming back for more, as Steinfeld's debut album looms.

3.5/5 stars

Discover more

SoundBites: Gin Wigmore, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana

18 Nov 05:00 PM

SoundBites: Tool, Disturbed, Fleetwood Mac

25 Nov 01:00 AM

SoundBites: Six60, 1 Million Women, The Hollies

02 Dec 04:00 PM

SoundBites: Sounds of 2015, Stone Temple Pilots

08 Dec 05:00 PM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Rotorua Daily Post

Where are NZ’s best beaches? Dai Henwood, Bret McKenzie, Hilary Barry share their picks

03 Jan 04:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

NZ's Best Beach 2026: Help choose the 2026 winners, from hidden gems to city sands

02 Jan 04:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

New Year Honours 2026: The full list

30 Dec 04:00 PM

Sponsored

The Bay’s secret advantage

07 Dec 09:54 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Where are NZ’s best beaches? Dai Henwood, Bret McKenzie, Hilary Barry share their picks
Rotorua Daily Post

Where are NZ’s best beaches? Dai Henwood, Bret McKenzie, Hilary Barry share their picks

From Northland to Nelson, famous Kiwis share their favourite NZ beaches.

03 Jan 04:00 PM
NZ's Best Beach 2026: Help choose the 2026 winners, from hidden gems to city sands
Rotorua Daily Post

NZ's Best Beach 2026: Help choose the 2026 winners, from hidden gems to city sands

02 Jan 04:00 PM
New Year Honours 2026: The full list
Rotorua Daily Post

New Year Honours 2026: The full list

30 Dec 04:00 PM


The Bay’s secret advantage
Sponsored

The Bay’s secret advantage

07 Dec 09:54 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP