Meet Jaedyn

Jaedyn started life in the mighty Waikato and found a lifelong love for music. When Rob Ruha mentioned Massey's music degree to her, "I knew I had to check it out."

Jaedyn and her mum went to the Pukeahu campus Open Day, where she instantly fell in love with the campus and facilities. She knew it was her future.

Before university, she'd heard that support from lecturers was few and far between. When Jaedyn started, she felt the complete opposite. "My tutors, Bridget and Blake, were always there to guide me... they were so invested in our dreams."

Lecturers set a culture that felt right to Jaedyn. She felt free to connect with kaupapa Māori and speak te reo freely, which "I really appreciated". The culture of growing and making mistakes, especially with Māori ki Massey, helped Jaedyn try new things.

Te reo Māori is going mainstream, and as Jaedyn says, "about time!" All of her work has been in te reo because she can express herself with more depth and beauty.

Massey's music qualifications allow for a lot of experimentation. Musicians like Jaedyn learn a broad set of skills, whether it's soft skills like confidence or technical skills in recording and production.

"I'm quite shy, but Massey taught me that confidence in my abilities was key to doing my best work."

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Alongside learning the skills of the industry, Jaedyn met countless other like-minded musicians. "Now, if I need a guitarist or someone to collaborate with, I can just reach out to fellow Massey graduates."

Studying music at Massey offers many chances to explore new ideas and ways to take them further. Jaedyn's found balance in writing on her own and collaborating.

"Writing on my own is a way for me to connect with my thoughts without worrying about being judged. But collaboration is exciting, too. There's something special about bouncing ideas off others."

Jaedyn wants to be a full-time musician, but more than that, her goal is to celebrate and promote te ao Māori through her music. That means going international. After working on the music for the reo Māori version of Moana, she's finding international opportunities already. Her messages are reaching more people.

"I'm recording new material in Wellington with my old lecturer Toby, which feels like everything's coming full circle." Even as her star rises, she's deeply connected to the local music scene.

Jaedyn has big ambitions, and it is exciting to see her reach for them. "Representing our reo and culture in Aotearoa is really important to me, and Massey helped me step into that with confidence and pride."

Behind her is a community of learners and lecturers cheering her on, proud to have helped her on her journey.