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# A haunting debut single from Smokefreerockquest solo winner Sahara
- URL: https://www.emptyspaces.co.nz/a-haunting-debut-single-from-smokefreerockquest-solo-winner-sahara/
- Published: 2026-07-16T19:00:42.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-16T19:00:42.000Z
- Author: Nick Raven
- Tags: Music

These kids are talented. 

After winning Smokefree Rockquest's Solo/Duo category in 2025, alt-folk artist Sahara has released a sobering debut single *Turcot*.

Originally from the Waikato and now based in Wellington, Sahara's *Turcot* is accompanied by a music video created as part of her Rockquest prize package with support from NZ On Air.

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Noema Te Hau III at BIG FAN, *Turcot* is about power, control and the toll it can take on ones mental health. Sahara says the song centres on fear and the influence of people who hold power over others.

> **“Turcot is about a fear of the dark, and all things within it. The ‘beast’ in the song is a metaphor for the people in our lives who threaten and hold power over us,”** 

The video was directed and edited by Ethan Alderson-Hughes. It presents a visual interpretation of the song's themes, following a recurring presence represented by a pair of hands that control and threaten the artist throughout the narrative.

Sahara is currently studying music at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. With *Turcot*, she becomes the latest Rockquest success story to move from the competition into delivering a release.

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