Audra Watt’s new single “Here in New York” lands like a memory you can’t quite shake—half warm glow, half quiet ache. Released October 17, 2025, and recorded at Vibe King Studio in Nashville with producer Andrew King, the track reflects a life-defining crossroads: staying in Tennessee at 18 instead of moving to New York. It’s not a song about regret, exactly, but about living with the ghost of a version of yourself you didn’t become.
The sound world is lush and soothing, guided by shimmering guitar strums that glint like city lights reflected in rain puddles. The drums thump gently, steady as footsteps on a late-night walk. Andrew’s production leans into early-2000s indie textures, like The Shins or The Dandy Warhols, braided with the narrative grace of Kacey Musgraves and the emotional resonance of Brandi Carlile. It feels cinematic in the way good memory-songs do, with those soft-focus edges, and a skyline just beyond reach.
Audra’s voice is gentle, wistful, and grounded. She lets the sadness and sweetness sit right in the open. She sings like someone who has made peace with her life, yet still acknowledges the flicker of what if. The lyrics paint New York vividly, as a personal myth. Fire escapes and subway noise are backdrops for imagined futures, the kind you daydream about at 18 when everything feels like it could still shift.
The song begins and ends with actual recordings of New York traffic, placing the listener right on the street she never moved to. It’s a subtle detail, but it makes the song breathe.
“Here in New York” is thoughtful because it knows that sometimes the hardest ache is the life you didn’t live—and the gratitude for the one you did.
STAY IN TOUCH:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Review by: Naomi Joan