Music Commission News

Each month, we’ll be featuring one of our interns from our Industry Internship Programme, talking to them about their internship and their experience. This month, we had a kōrero with Rosetta Stone, currently interning at Lil Sister PR: a one-stop media/communications initiative catering to the independent music scene.

What are you enjoying the most about your internship role so far?
Lil Sister has been such a great introduction to PR, because I think initially coming into this side of the music industry, I had concerns about over-commercialising music. As a musician myself, I want to be a part of connecting artists with their audiences, and Lil Sister works with independent and emerging artists to do that in a really genuine way. I’ve loved connecting with our artists and learning about their music, and I’ve loved becoming a part of their support network in a journey that I understand can feel quite overwhelming at times! I’ve also loved working alongside my boss, Kate, who has been an incredible mentor in navigating the world of media and PR, and she’s also just awesome to chat with about where music media and journalism are currently at in Aotearoa, where it’s come from, and where it’s going.

What’s something cool or interesting that you have learned in your internship?
I’m always listening to such amazing artists that we work with and have discovered some incredible local music, as well as working with some of my favourite local artists! Kate and I have also been diving into the world of social media, and how we can develop Lil Sister’s online presence… an area that we’re both learning a lot about together. Diving into the metaverse, scheduling posts, working with colour palettes and aesthetics – all really fun and creative aspects to having an online presence and super helpful skills for where music media is heading! I’ve also loved connecting with a lot of people within the music industry that you might otherwise only see via social media or online. It’s a really lovely thing to feel like you’re becoming part of a community of people who have a genuine love of Aotearoa musicians and their craft.

What do you do outside of your internship?
I’m studying full-time at UoA, completing my third year of a conjoint degree of Popular Music (BMus) and Communications (BA). I’m also the lead vocalist and lyricist for Psycho Gab, a neo-soul five-piece band. We released our first single ‘Messy’ on all platforms in 2023, have been gigging around Tāmaki-Makaurau with some incredible artists, and we’re currently working toward the release of our debut EP later this year! I’m also passionate about music journalism so spend a fair bit of time hanging around 95bFM on the news team, doing music shows, writing gig reviews, and getting stuck in wherever I can.

What are you looking forward to?
I’m excited to be part of Lil Sister at a time when we’re starting to grow a lot and new possibilities are popping up all the time. I’ve learned so much from Kate and the team at NicNak, about how music publicity works and how we can help artists thrive, but I’m also really grateful that my thoughts and opinions are valued, in a time where music journalism and publicity are going through huge amounts of change. This change can feel quite scary for a lot of people, but my time at Lil Sister continues to make me feel hugely optimistic about where the space is heading.

Kia pai mai hoki e Rosetta!

Photo credit: Gabriella Gillespie