Drax Project

Drax Project

Drax Project are a pop, jazz and R&B band from Wellington, New Zealand. The group forms in 2013 and is active from that point onwards. The current members are Matt Beachen, Ben O’Leary, Shaan Singh and Sam Thomson.

Formation and early development

The band begins as buskers in Wellington in 2013. Shaan Singh plays saxophone and Matt Beachen plays drums, and the name Drax Project comes from a combination of “drums” and “sax”. Double bassist Sam Thomson joins shortly afterwards, and guitarist Ben O’Leary joins about a year later, when the group starts writing original material. Singh, Beachen and Thomson study jazz at the New Zealand School of Music, while O’Leary studies music at Whitireia New Zealand.

Releases and recognition

The band releases its first extended play in August 2014, followed by a second EP, T/W/OO, in 2016 through Universal. They come to wider attention in 2017 with “Woke Up Late”, which becomes widely played on New Zealand radio. A new version of the song appears in 2019 featuring Hailee Steinfeld; the original version is certified triple platinum by RIANZ, and the 2019 version is certified triple platinum in Australia.

In 2019, Drax Project also release “All This Time” and their debut self-titled studio album.