about
Soul-food singer-songwriter dān dān (she/they) is a Chinese-Pākehā artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, and one half of wasian sibling duo Ersha Island 二沙岛. Known for her distinct vocals, evocative storytelling, and classically trained piano influences, her bilingual English and Mandarin songwriting explores family, identity, and growing up between cultures, with food doing the heavy lifting as the medium of storytelling. Her debut EP songs about food is out Friday 14 August 2026.
about dān dān
Soul-food singer-songwriter dān dān is one half of wasian sibling duo Ersha Island 二沙岛, and is known for her distinct vocals, evocative storytelling, and classically trained piano influences. Separate from the duo, dān dān layers in lyrical wordplay and rich harmonies to explore the more playful and vulnerable parts of her songwriting as a solo artist.
Her debut single pressure cooker, released in November 2024 with the support of New Zealand On Air, opened this solo chapter: a candid, emotionally layered track that unpacks the unspoken pressures of growing up between cultures as the eldest daughter in a Chinese family. It reached number one on Juice TV's Top 20 Most Streamed Videos, and earned dān dān a cover feature in Rolling Stone AU/NZ's Best New Zealand Music of the Week, alongside praise from press in Aotearoa, the UK, and the US.
Its music video, inspired by Everything Everywhere All At Once and featuring celebrity chef Sam Low, won Best Music Video at NZ Webfest 2025 and was an Official Selection at the New Zealand Youth Film Festival.
A string of singles followed, each one a dish in its own right. end of august (hand-pulled noodles) is a bittersweet reflection on knowing something is ending before it does, and choosing to savour it anyway. songs about u, a love letter to her younger self, moves between bathroom floors and late afternoon light, letting recovery stay cyclical rather than resolved. (cookie) crumble rounds out the set with her signature blend of tenderness and wordplay.
These songs now sit together on her debut EP songs about food, out Friday 14 August 2026. Across seven bilingual English and Mandarin tracks, the EP traces food as culture, family, whakapapa, power, and the quiet language of love: the story of ancestry that survived on very little, and a generation that gets to make art in abundance. songs about food was made with the support of the Asian Artists Fund, and features collaborators including Dan Martin, Sam Nakamura, Christian Tjandrawinata, Devin Abrams, and sibling Tee Hao-Aickin on violin. dān dān launches the EP with a release party at Te Oro in Glen Innes on Saturday 22 August, performing the full project live with a seven-piece all-wāhine band on keys, guitar, cello, violin, bass, flute, and yangqin.
On stage, dān dān has performed on the main stage at CubaDupa 2026, and alongside sibling Tee at Wānaka's Festival of Colour as Ersha Island 二沙岛.
Beyond music, dān dān is a videographer and visual storyteller who documents the stories, spaces, and creative lives of her community. From filming live sets with Asian musicians across Tāmaki Makaurau to directing and editing her own music videos, her lens is always pointed at culture and connection. Previously the General Manager of Youth Arts New Zealand, she remains fiercely passionate about supporting Aotearoa's diverse creative communities.