Can you share your musical journey with us, from when you first discovered your passion for music to where you are today as an independent musician?
I first discovered my passion for music at the age of 12 when I was selected as one of the boys chorus members in the opera ‘Carmen’. It was a professional production by the New Zealand National Opera Company and starred Kiri Te Kanawa in her first professional role. The following year I was signed to HMV as a child recording artist. The 1st record I made was a song called ‘Wheel of Fortune’ which became an instant smash hit and gold record. The single reached number 5 on the NZ national music charts. I recorded two successful albums on the HMV label and composed ‘Take Your Leave’ which won a nationally televised song writing competition and went to number 3 on the national charts. My journey as a ‘child star’ came to an abrupt end when my voice broke.
I went to music school for 3 years in my late teens & at the age of 20 started my career as a professional singer.
During the early 1980’s I toured as the support act for The Hollies, Leo Sayer, The Irish Rovers, Richard Clayderman and The Troggs in concert around New Zealand. I also had a short stint with the NZ National Opera Company. I moved to London in the mid 80’s and toured the UK with the musical ‘Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’. I performed regularly around Covent Garden in restaurants, bars & nightclubs on acoustic guitar, usually with another acoustic guitarist accompanying me.
On my return to New Zealand, I gigged wherever I could in order to pay the mortgage & feed the family. This was a financially challenging, frustrating time in my career so several years ago I took a break from music and started working another job. Very soon I was earning a lot more money in a ‘real job’, it freed me from the frustrations & baggage I had collected and enabled me to reset my approach to music. It allowed me to set up a serious home studio and 3 years ago I started my journey as an independent recording artist .
The 2021 release of my song ‘After All These Years’ spent 5 weeks in the UK country ‘Hotdisc’ top 40. My single ‘Living the Waltz’ graced the ‘Hotdisc’ charts for 3 months in 2022.
What motivates you to create music, and how do you stay inspired to continue making new and unique music?
I think we are born with hard wired values, talents …. whatever you want to call them. Creativity for me is like a God given need/drive that has to be exercised in some way to honour & fulfill that value. Whilst it can be frustrating at times, song writing and music production ultimately provides me with a great sense of satisfaction. My son has just started out on his career as a songwriter /artist. When I hear him working on one of his songs, it greatly inspires me, not only to help & encourage him, but to work on my own music.
As an independent musician, you wear many hats – from composing to marketing. How do you balance these different aspects of your career, and what challenges do you face in the process?
The challenge I face is finding enough time for everything. The recording process takes me a long time. The marketing is something I don’t enjoy and I believe it is a full time job to do effectively. Self-promotion does not sit easily with me.
Could you tell us about your creative process? How do you come up with new ideas for songs, and how do you go about turning those ideas into finished tracks?
I have approached the writing process in every which way… whatever works!.
I set my brain into creative mode, either at the piano, guitar, driving down the road, by myself or together with a colleague in an arranged writing session. From somewhere ideas start to arrive, sometimes a melodic idea will come with a gibberish lyric.
The challenge then is to edit out the good idea (hopefully there’s a good one) and develop it as best as possible. Ultimately the success of the process depends on where to take the idea next. I tend to record ideas on a dictaphone & listen back later to see what catches my ear before I really get into it.
With my latest song ‘Christmas Day (The First Day of Forever)’, the melody was written at the piano from a completed lyric that a colleague sent me. A lot of my songs historically have been written like this; as collaborations, either from a completed lyric I put music to, or a lyricist writes words to a melody and chord structure I have created.
This has started to change for me in recent times as lately I have been more motivated to start the writing process from a small lyric theme/ hook that I have come up with. Whilst melody is king for me, I don’t really get into the process now of creating a new song until I have that germ of a lyric to start to begin with. My Christian faith has increasingly inspired me to write from Biblical themes.
The recording process starts with my guide vocal and guitar recorded to a click track in my home studio. From there I hire the appropriate US based online session players to build the song track by track. The key is to hire the right player for the job. As musicians are not in the same room at the same time, I sometimes, have to do a lot of editing to blend parts effectively together.
Independent musicians often face financial challenges. How do you manage your finances to sustain your music career while also covering your personal expenses?
I spent most of my life as a full time professional singer. It was very difficult to make a living to support my family & pay the mortgage with music alone. I found I was having to perform music that wasn’t me, in order to pay the bills. Several years ago I took a break from music and started working another job. Very soon I was earning a lot more money, it freed me from the frustrations & baggage I had collected and enabled me to reset my approach to music. It allowed me to set up a serious home studio.
I now only work part time & it funds my recording projects.
Can you share a particularly memorable or challenging experience from your journey as a musician that has had a significant impact on your career and personal growth?
My overnight success as a ‘child star’ on a national stage in New Zealand was an amazing experience but it also presented some ongoing difficulties for me as an adult artist. I think artists that have had some success, that has waned over time, can get caught up in chasing that next hit to get the show back on the road. I experienced that at 15 and it hasn’t been without it’s challenges for me on occasion, especially when I was younger.
With the rise of digital platforms, the music industry has changed significantly. How do you navigate the digital landscape, including streaming services and social media, to promote your music and connect with your audience?
My understanding of how things work with regard to streaming platforms is very limited. It is very difficult for independent artists to get noticed enough to have sufficient streams to generate any reasonable amount of income.
I have heard that major labels invest an awful lot of money in advertising to generate enough streams to break a new artist or song. Independent artists can’t compete with this financially and I’m sure a lot of great indie songs & artists are getting lost in the multitudes.
I do think that the technology that is available now & the various streaming platforms do give independent artists the opportunity to get heard in a way that didn’t exist when I was younger, which is great. The trick is how to achieve enough streams to make it financially sustainable. I haven’t got the answer to that yet!
Social media is huge in promoting an artist’s music but I think it is almost a full time job to use social media well to maximise things. It is not something I know a lot about or something I want to spend a lot of time doing. There are too many songs I need to be spending my time writing & recording.
Collaboration is a key part of the music industry. Have you worked with other musicians or producers, and how have these collaborations influenced your sound and career?
Music & melody has always come easily to me, lyrics have been more of a challenge so most of my writing, historically, has been in collaboration with a lyricist.
In recent times I have started writing with a colleague in the same room at the same time and share the lyric, music creation pretty much equally in the sessions. Sometimes one of us has an idea we bring to the table & if it resonates with the other person the process begins. I enjoy this way of writing most as it provides the opportunity to bounce of each other’s creativity.
During the long covid lockdowns in NZ it wasn’t possible to get with local musicians to record. This created an opportunity to ‘meet’ some amazing international session musicians online. The quality of these musicians immediately improved the standard of my productions and has had a big influence on my sound.
Your music likely reflects your unique style and perspective. Could you describe your musical identity and what makes your sound stand out in a crowded industry?
I always find it hard to define my style. My influences and the genres that I have worked in over the years are numerous & varied, from solo acoustic guitar & vocals in a crossover acoustic/country/folk style to theatre, floorshows & even a stint with the NZ National Opera Company.
Does this give me a unique style, maybe …. probably best to leave it to others decide .
My home studio allows me the freedom to experiment without any financial restrictions having to pay expensive studio time and rush the recording process.
Although I have spent decades in the music business I’m quite new to the independent recording artist journey and I believe I’m still developing my sound.
What role does live performance play in your music career, and how do you approach planning and executing your live shows, especially in light of recent challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic?
New Zealand had some of the most lengthy lockdowns in the world during covid. Live performances have not been a big focus in recent times but I intend to change that next year.
Many fans are interested in the stories behind the songs. Could you share the backstory or inspiration behind one of your recent tracks that holds special meaning to you?
For a lot of people Christmas Day is “sleigh bells in the snow, presents wrapped beneath the tree and party time”. I wanted to produce a song that talks to this but reflects the true meaning of Christmas…
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16
Looking ahead, what are your future goals and aspirations as an independent musician? Are there any upcoming projects or exciting developments in your career that you’d like to share with your fans and the audience.
I have a few songs in the production pipeline that I want to complete over the next few months to release next year. Gospel music reflecting my Christian faith, will increasingly take more of my musical focus in the coming years.
