Wellington singer Louis Baker has been captivating listeners with his soulful voice for much of this decade.
If you say his name to one of his fans, it's likely that voice is the first thing they'll mention. He can't explain exactly how he realised he had it, but he does know how to look after it.
"It's really important man," he told Newshub. "You've got to get that five-plus a day. Got to be sleeping, drinking water, making sure you're taking care of it."
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Baker's been steadily releasing music since 2013 - and with his debut album finally out in June, it's a voice we'll be hearing a lot more of.
"To be honest, I think I'm overdue an album and I think it's time to get one out there. So it's just one of those things, you've kind of got to let go sometimes," he says.
The 29-year-old has spent the last few years touring, songwriting and collaborating overseas. He says those experiences have helped him come out of his shell, inspiring the album's name, Open.
"It feels really good, man. We've worked pretty hard on this. I've especially poured my heart and soul into the songs. It's really exciting to see something finally come to fruition."
Lead single 'The People' follows that soul tradition of equality, people power, and positivity: things Baker says are needed now more than ever.
"Any song with the message with that message of bringing people together, it's more and more important to see that come through," he says.
"The dialogue for peace is always relevant, especially in recent times. We've seen some pretty tragic things happen so I hope that it affects people in a positive way."
The accompanying video is a love letter to Baker's roots in the Wellington suburb of Newtown, featuring his favourite places, his friends, and even his firefighter father.
"Actually they were all really easy to convince to be in the video," he says. "I think my dad quite likes being on camera!"
Proving no matter what international success may bring, there's no place like home.
Newshub.
