Nia Vavao AKA Spider Town Baby - Singer-songwriter

Nia Vavao AKA Spider Town Baby is a Samoan singer/songwriter who represents Avondale all day! From casually singing when she was at Avondale Primary to belting out “Killing Me Softly” in bands at Avondale College, Nia has come a long way. In the beginning, music was a hobby that she pursued through her studies. But now it has the potential to become a full blown career.

Most recently, Nia has been performing and exploring her songwriting process. On May the 20th, Nia sang alongside Aunty Rae, Lachi and Matt Miller at a show that was hosted by Big Fan. There, she found her feet onstage and soaked up the musical talent in the room. Her younger sister had her back in the audience as she echoed every one of Nia’s original lyrics. Then Nia attended the APRA Moana Songwriting Sessions from May the 29th to the 31st. Within that space, she collaborated with other artists and refined her own creative process. Nia left both events feeling inspired and supported by a warm community of Tagata Moana.

With a degree in Pop Music, a lifetime of singing experience and a cohort of creatives behind her, Nia is ready to fly. New music is bubbling away in the studio, audiences are entranced as she flows onstage and ideas are bouncing off the walls in writing sessions. Now that her sights are set on releasing one of her songs in July 2023, there is no stopping Spider Town Baby from carving out a space of her own on Aotearoa’s music scene.

Nia’s advice for rangatahi is to be a little bit delusional. No one gave her permission to be an artist - that was something that she had to give to herself. So, assume that the world (or at least one other person) needs to hear what you have to say. If no one else is doing what you want to do, be the first.