TRACK-BY-TRACK: VENICE QIN TAKES US THROUGH '奔月 MOONLANDING'

Listen to the album below!

Image: Benn Jae.

Aotearoa-born, Sydney-based, Venice Qin has dropped her debut album 奔月 MOONLANDING. To celebrate the release, the singer is taking us through the collection of songs track-by-track...

I’m a Chinese girl born in Aotearoa with too many feelings and too much flavour to ever pick one box — so I didn’t. 奔月 MOONLANDING is where I finally touch down, and spoiler: it’s not Earth. It’s a planet built from contradictions — East meets West, Erhu meets hyper-pop, tears meet turbo BPM.

From classic heartbreak to club-night delusion, this record holds all my phases. All my mess. All my magic. There’s chaos, there’s catharsis, there’s even a warped Dannii Minogue moment because, of course, there is.

If you’re a pop fiend like me, this one’s got it all — big sounds, big feelings, bigger fantasy. I’m not here to make chill background music. I’m here to serve alien gurlie realness with no fear of going full camp, full brat, full heart.

HOME COUNTRY

This song marks the first and only time (so far) that I’ve cried while recording in the studio. I wrote it about some of the micro-aggressions and racism my friends and I experienced growing up. But in the booth, all I could think about was my mum and how strong she is. She raised me as a single parent for most of my childhood, in a country where she had to learn the language from scratch. The more I thought about it, the more the emotion cracked open. She’s the blueprint. And she always moves me to tears.

ANGEL

This one’s about the war inside — the constant tug-of-war between every version of me. ANGEL is me taking ownership, not just of the good parts, but the messy ones too. It’s about facing the chaos, holding it close, and saying: yep, love ya boo! This is where the album takes off, where the story begins to unfold.

OVERDOSE

Here’s the truth: I’m drawn to the drama. I know when something’s bad for me — and sometimes I do it anyway. OVERDOSE is the crash course in that exact feeling. Adrenaline, obsession, knowing it’ll go down in flames but jumping headfirst because the burn is half the thrill.

BUBBLEGUM

This one popped into my head while I was in my grandfather’s study in China, during my visit. No joke. It was unserious and sugary from the start, and I had a gut feeling it belonged. Then I brought it to Melbourne and Mirabelle Añes added her magic — songwriting, production, the works. Suddenly it was bubbling over, bright and ready.

GHOSTBOI

First track we started. Last track we finished. Classic. There are at least twenty versions sitting in the inbox. The torture track - ironic, given its theme. I loved the concept from the jump, but we kept wrestling with the structure — especially the chorus. In the end, we stripped it back to just guitar and rewrote the pre-chorus from a more personal place. That cracked it open. It’s about a guy who took three business days to text back. Minimum. Not it. It nearly didn’t make the album, but in the final days of production, she landed. Just like the rest of 奔月 MOONLANDING.

MERCEDES

This is the full throttle moment. The album shifts gears and suddenly it’s night — sparkly, sweaty, and slightly unhinged. Co-written and produced with my chaotic soulmate Dylan Ringrow, literally on the day we met. We clicked instantly. One second we were strangers, the next we were blasting Paris Hilton and playing Hot or Not between takes. We made MERCEDES in a few hours, and honestly, it’s everything Dylan and I are when we’re together: fun, wild, sexy, delusional. Also, be honest… who doesn’t love the fantasy of a sugar daddy you don’t have to werk for?

PUT THE NEEDLE ON IT

This track is pure homage to the bops that raised me, the references that shaped this record, and the nights I danced everything off. One of my favourite Dannii Minogue tracks, also one of Benn Jae’s, my ride-or-die manager and creative partner. Of course, I had to go full Venice mode: I jacked the BPM to 150, drenched it in sweat, and added late-night filth. It’s clubby, dubby, bratty, and everything I love about Y2K pop. I’m so ready to lose my mind to this live.

IDOL

Producer Ben Malone threw me the ultimate dare: “Write a love song.” I nearly choked. But I knew he was right - I needed to do it. I’ve always found it hard to admit when I’m in love, let alone admit how much I idolise the person. This track is me cracking the armour, saying it out loud, letting it be what it is. No pretending. Just surrender.

FREAK OUT

Chaos is in my DNA. Not just the kind that comes with being an artist — the kind that is the artist. I’ve been told that’s what makes me hard to love. FREAK OUT is the dare: Can you love me like this? Mid-meltdown, mid-mess, mid-me. I mean Marilyn Monroe did say, “If you can’t love me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best.” Get it, sis. That’s hot!

NEW WOMAN

This is the arrival. The phoenix moment. The “you made it, babe” moment. NEW WOMAN is what happens after the wreckage — the version of me that walks out of the fire and goes, “Try me now.” It lifts the end of 奔月 MOONLANDING into orbit and leaves you with exactly where I’m at: right here, right now - a NEW WOMAN, baby!

See you on my planet.

奔月 MOONLANDING is out now.