Originally released in 2025 after Salem won the Play It Strange Junior Songwriting Competition with the track, A Girl Named Abigail was recorded live at Joel Little’s Big Fan studio with producer and audio engineer Noema Te Hau III. The song reflects on the loss of Salem’s aunt Keri, who passed away from cancer when he was just four years old.
Now, receiving NZ On Air funding for the single, the 17-year-old artist has brought the song’s emotional story to the screen.
“A Girl Named Abigail is a song I wrote a while back about my aunty Keri,” says Salem. “Even though I was very young when she passed away, her story has always stayed with me. Being able to create a music video for this song has been really special and has helped me honour her memory in another way.”
Hailing from Gisborne/Tairāwhiti, Salem has steadily built a reputation as one of Aotearoa’s most promising young artists. Growing up singing in church and learning guitar and keys, he has gone on to achieve remarkable success across New Zealand’s music landscape.
Salem is a five-time Play It Strange finalist and winner of the organisation’s 2025 Junior Songwriting competition. He won the Smokefree Rockquest Solo/Duo category in 2023 and, alongside his band Idiots with Instruments (IWI), has reached the national finals of Tangata Beats three times and Smokefree Rockquest once. His achievements have earned him multiple songwriting, te reo Māori and performance awards, including a Best Vocalist accolade.
Beyond music competitions, Salem gained national attention after a video featuring his high school choir went viral on TikTok, leading to international media coverage, radio interviews and a conversation with Stan Walker. He later won the national television singing competition 5 Minutes of Fame, further cementing his reputation as an emerging talent to watch.
With seven songs released before the age of 18 and NZ On Air funding supporting multiple projects, Salem continues to build momentum as both a songwriter and performer.
The release of the A Girl Named Abigail music video marks another important milestone in Salem’s journey, offering audiences a deeper connection to one of his most moving and personal works.
