New Music & Video Release - Ali Whitton releases 'Forever', third single from upcoming debut album - 11th March 2026
Credit - Emily Raftery
Artist Name - Ali Whitton
Release Name - Forever
Release Date - 11th March 2026
Genre - Indie-Folk, Singer Songwriter, Acoustic
Label - AMW Music
ndie-folk singer-songwriter Ali Whitton has today released Forever – the third single from his forthcoming debut album Between the Forest and the Stars, due out in mid 2026.
Ali Whitton’s songwriting journey has carried him from rural North Yorkshire to stages in London, Paris, and Aotearoa, shaped by heartbreak, reinvention, and a lifelong connection to storytelling. Inspired early by his father’s poetry, Ali discovered that songwriting could be a way to process life’s most emotional moments.
After performing in bands and solo across Europe, Ali relocated to New Zealand in 2010, releasing music under the name Lost Bird and becoming a fixture on the local acoustic scene. A longtime friendship with Ed Sheeran led to a pivotal moment in 2023, when Ali shared a work-in-progress track that sparked a year-long songwriting and recording commitment. This collaboration evolved into his debut album, co-produced by Dave Khan (Marlon Williams, The Veils, Reb Fountain) and Reb Fountain, featuring musicians Gus Agars and Steve Harrop.
Forever, co-written by the previously mentioned kiwi powerhouse Reb Fountain, explores darker emotional terrain than previous singles. Ali describes the track:
“In one of my pre-album sessions with Reb and Dave they got this groove going and we needed some lyrics for it, so we pulled some verses from what was originally a love song and we twisted and tore the ideas. It was finished in the studio minutes before laying down the vocal, and I just channeled into a brooding vibe of driving at night on a dirty orange-light half-illuminated motorway, maybe running away from parts of ourselves.”
The single showcases Ali’s signature sound: woody, warm, and layered, with his voice at the centre – vulnerable yet true. The mood of Forever evokes the tension between desire and reality, echoing the physical and emotional landscapes explored throughout Between the Forest and the Stars.
Reb Fountain deems Forever as the ultimate driving tune. She says:
“Is it raining, with broken wipers forcing you to drive with your head out the window? A muggy summer evening, smoking a cigarette for a hundred miles just to go anywhere but here? Or curled up in the backseat of a Greyhound, grateful not to be at the helm, facing the driving rain with hope? Any way you slice it, “I’ll Dance with You Forever” aches with longing. That feeling tugs at you through the day, pestering you like a rat in the rafters during the night shift. Then the open road appears—a breath of fresh air amidst the suffocating city. You climb behind the wheel, fix your eyes on the path ahead, and sing along”.
Ali Whitton’s full body of work reflects the spirit of a traveller moving through the world, balancing introspection with a deep connection to nature and place. On his debut album, songs like Quiet My Heart, Hopeful Heart, and now Forever reveal a heart navigating love, loss, and longing across continents and inner landscapes.
‘Between the Forest and the Stars’ is out in April 2026.