Budding Rotorua musician Alayna Powley has released her first music video.
The 24-year-old former Western Heights High School student - who impressed at Rotorua's Lakeside concert in 2014 and 2015 - moved to New York last year to pursue her music career.
But it was four years ago - back in 2013 - that she wrote her song Bliss.
"It was always the most special song to me," she said.
"I always enjoyed playing it live and for years I recorded different versions of it, but I was never 100 per cent happy."
After signing with her label, 20XX, she began working with a variety of producers.
"There was this guy, STINT, and I said to my label that I wanted to work with him, I love his stuff.
"He was the most established producer I wanted and he cost more money than the budget for the whole EP."
STINT has produced for Demi Lovato, Carly Rae Jepsen and was nominated for a Grammy for his work with Gallant.
Despite the label telling her the move would be risky she flew to Los Angeles to catch up with him.
"I played Bliss for him on the piano and told him, this is how I want it to sound."
The pair went back and forth for two months with STINT offering her a slightly cheaper rate.
"It was like my baby, so it needed to feel right," she said.
Earlier this year she applied for funding from New Zealand On Air in the hope of filming a music video.
The whole thing came together in October.
"I only had two days, it was the weekend before I flew back to New Zealand," she said.
"Filming it was an amazing experience."
Music video director Patrick Golan came up with the idea to record the video using traditional film.
"I was so scared and I had no idea what it looked like," Powley said.
"We filmed in literally my dream Greenwich Village apartment."
When it came to casting the love interest for her video she said it felt like "the most shallow thing in the world".
"His name is Eli, he is an actor and he basically just gave us his weekend.
"He was so professional and I was so awkward, I was probably the biggest liability there."
Powley will perform at next year's Rotorua Lakeside Concert.