A.R.T Make Us Believe in Love Again on Their New Single

A.R.T’s new single “Make Me Believe” sits right in that tender space between heartbreak and hope. It is not about rushing into a perfect fairytale or pretending pain never happened. It is about the quiet, scary decision to open your heart again after it has already been broken. It is about wanting to believe in love, even when part of you is still carrying the weight of what came before. For Rosie from A.R.T, that emotional world came from lived experience. “The way that the girls and I work together is we all have our own lived experiences with heartbreak,” she said. For Rosie personally, the song arrived after coming out of a long-term relationship. “Believing in love after that is terribly hard. It’s scary, you don’t really want to, but I think it’s such an important aspect of life to love in whatever capacity, whether it’s in your relationships or friendships or your family.” Rosie described love as something that “centralises all of us as human beings,” and that feeling runs right through the song.

The track also marks a full-circle moment for A.R.T through the involvement of Sammy Johnson. Long before they were creating music together, the group first encountered him when he visited their school. Rosie remembers him as an artist with presence, talent, and something that made them believe this path might be possible for them too. “We just remember being so inspired by him,” she said. “Seeing him touring and inspiring other children, we wanted to be like him someday.” Now, having him not only on the song but in the room as a collaborator feels surreal. “It’s a huge blessing,” Rosie shared. “It’s a huge honour to have him and for him to want to work with us. Not even to have him on the single, but just being in the same room with him, crafting and creating.”

That collaboration helped shape the song into a conversation. “Make Me Believe” feels like two people standing on either side of emotional baggage, both trying to work out whether love is still worth trusting. Rosie explained that having Sammy involved made that dynamic feel natural. The first part of the song carries the fear, the wanting, and the heartbreak. His response brings reassurance. “It’s like a call and response,” Rosie said. “The first verse and the chorus talk about, you know, I want this, and I’m heartbroken, and I’m scared, and he’s reassuring in the second part of the song. Which I thought was a great balance.”

“Make Me Believe” is part of A.R.T’s First Thursdays campaign, a year-long rollout where the group releases a new single on the first Thursday of each month. Rather than building everything around one big release moment, the campaign has pushed the group into a rhythm of constant creation. “We were in a bit of limbo last year,” Rosie said. “We were really wanting to push out more music. So we thought that it would be a great motivation for us, with a target goal every month.”

So far, that goal has resulted in six singles out in the world. It has not been easy, but for A.R.T, the pressure has also created momentum. “It’s been such an amazing experience,” Rosie said. “It’s such a beautiful break from our day-to-day lives.” That sense of creative freedom is also shaping the wider sound of the group. Rosie describes where A.R.T. is right now as “Polynesian pop,” a term that feels both specific and expansive. Their music draws from R&B, soul, reggae, pop, and Pacific music, but it is always grounded in who they are. “Our world at the moment is global in terms of what we’re making sonically,” she said. “It’s a bit of everything, but anything we do will always be centred in our Polynesian roots.”

For A.R.T, culture is not something they have to force into the music. It is already there because it is part of them.  “Anything A.R.T, that’s how we’re brought up, that’s what runs through our blood.” That honesty is also part of why the group refuses to sit neatly inside one industry box. Over the past 18 months, A.R.T have experienced major moments, including AMA nominations, touring in Australia, and being part of the Prime Minister’s delegation visit to Tonga and Samoa. But when Rosie reflects on what stands out most, it is not just the big milestones. It is the music itself. “My favourite part would just be the music that we’ve been releasing at the moment,” she said. “Having so much more added to our catalogue, and for people to enjoy, and getting that creative freedom to just try whatever we want.”

She laughed about the pressure artists often feel to choose one lane and stay there. “The industry will tell you that you have to choose a box and fit in it. We’ve just said, nah, we’re good. We’re just over here vibing.” That joy has been hard-earned. A.R.T’s journey began long before this current chapter. Rosie describes it as a “God-given journey.” The group met at Intermediate, and from there, they never really parted. “There have been moments along the way where we just didn’t think we could do it,” she said. “We didn’t know how to navigate the ever-changing industry. We’ve given up a lot of times.”

But music kept bringing them back. “Music is our healer,” Rosie said. “It’s where we fill our cups, and our friendship is so strong.” That friendship is now 13 years deep, and it remains one of the most important parts of the group’s identity. Rosie hopes that people discovering A.R.T through this project not only connect with the songs, but also feel the friendship behind them. “We hope it brings about healing,” she said. “We hope it falls on the ears of people who need that support.”

Faith has also played a major role in their story. Rosie shared that all three members grew up singing in church, where music was part of family, community, and everyday life. “That is where we learned how to sing,” she said. “That really shaped the way I sing and perform.” It also helped form the bond between them. They were strangers when they met, but they shared similar childhood experiences, church roots, and musical foundations. “That’s how our bond began,” Rosie said. “Through church and church music.”

Now,  A.R.T are continuing to shape their sound and vision. Behind the group is a wider community cheering them on, helping them create, and supporting the First Thursdays journey. Even with all of that growth, Rosie still describes A.R.T in the most grounded way possible: “We’re just three mates, have no idea what we’re doing, but we know that we love to sing, and we love music.”

For young creatives wanting to enter the industry, Rosie’s advice is simple: make sure you actually love it. “If you’re not having fun, it’s not worth it,” she said. “If this is not something that you love to do day in, day out, because it is a lot of work at the end of the day, but if your heart is not with the music, I don’t think this is the right path for you.”

As for what is next, Rosie teased that there is a song coming later in the year called “Let It Rain,” a reggae-pop fusion that brings her “immense joy” every time she hears it. The message is about accepting the seasons of life as they come. “Let it rain. It’s fine. Bring an umbrella,” she said.

Before then, A.R.T’s next release arrives on July 2, and Rosie hinted that it will show listeners a different side of the group. “It’s a very spicy one,” she laughed. “If you have a man and you want to celebrate him, then this next song is for you.”