Drax Project release Tik-Tok-inspried single 'Gameboy Colour'

Drax Project are smashing it.” – Wonderland

 “Drax Project have grown to become one of the biggest groups to have ever come out of

New Zealand.” – Notion

Drax Project have made a career by choosing their own adventure. The Kiwi pop powerhouse outfit have carved their own path in recent years, rising from busking jazz students to becoming one of the most seen and heard New Zealand musical acts of all time. They’ve amassed hundreds of millions of streams; teamed up with some of the biggest names on the planet (including Hailee Steinfeld, Fetty Wap and SIX60); and toured the world with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Christina Aguilera, Lorde and Camilla Cabello – all off the back of songwriting that combines undeniable pop hooks with brilliant and subtly complex musicianship.

Wellington four-piece announce that they’re once again treading their own, unique journey with the release of a new single, ‘Gameboy Color,’ that was completely inspired by a self-issued, TikTok challenge.

 LISTEN TO DRAX PROJECT’S NEW SINGLE ‘GAMEBOY COLOR’

‘Gameboy Color’ is the result of the #blindbeatchallenge – a TikTok content series Drax Project created for themselves during the pandemic lockdowns – where each member of the group had 10 minutes on their own in the studio to come up with song parts on their respective instruments. They then put them together blind to hear the outcome and the results were a delight for both the band members and their fans watching the process roll out. 

"We were trying to spark some creativity in the studio," explains the band. "When Ben (O'Leary - guitarist) suggested we each go to a separate room and write a part for a song. We picked a key and a tempo to base our ideas off, so the end result would at least be listenable... in theory. Matt (Beachen - drummer) filmed everyone's reactions and posted it to TikTok, really thinking nothing much of it. The first one racked up millions of views in a few days and the #blindbeatchallenge was born."

With over 30 million views across eight videos, millions of likes, and thousands of comments begging for an official release – it quickly became apparent to the band that they had stumbled on a creative goldmine, the first result of which is the sparkly, nostalgia-drenched new single.

"Gameboy Color' was about as random as it gets to be honest," says vocalist Shaan Singh. "I went into one of the rooms at our studio to write my part, saw my old Gameboy on the shelf and channelled the nostalgia of being a kid - when all that mattered was trying to level up my Charizard and hanging with my friends after school. Thankfully, it aligned well with the other boys' parts and the song really just wrote itself from there." 

Drax Project are now poised to release a full Blind Beat EP on December 9, featuring five of the tracks that emerged from those studio experiments, with even more TikTok challenges around the release set to come, including encouraging fans to add their own verses to the tracks. Drax Project are also currently on tour in Australia performing in at the Rolling Hills Festival in Brisbane on November 19, and a yet-to-be-announced show in Sydney on December 14.