After a three year hiatus from stage and studio, singer-songwriter Ngaiire prepares to hit the road with a new set of tunes. Released late last year, her single ‘Shiver’ was shortlisted for the Vanda and Young Global Songwriting Competition. The captivating track is a sample of things to come with an upcoming album and national ‘Take Over’ tour. Rising in the ranks from backing vocalist (Blue King Brown, Paul Mac), Ngaiire now rules centre stage with powerhouse vocals and natural charisma.
Calling from her home base of Sydney, Ngaiire laughs at my ‘Welcome back!’ greeting. Among matters to sideline her career, the PNG-born artist experienced medical treatment and the birth of her son.
“It was a forced hiatus,” she says. “But I think everything happens for a reason and I feel good. I had started working on the song ‘Shiver’ about two and a half years ago. A lot has changed around me but the record has stayed on course, even before I had my baby. The meaning has maintained its aesthetic and the reason why we started writing it. There’s always that weird feeling when you release something you’ve been sitting on for so long. People start listening to it, taking it into their minds and homes, giving you their feedback.”
Dedicated to her late grandmother, the track was written around the mourning period. “I started writing it with Will Cumming (aka ‘Lanks’) when I’d returned from PNG doing a research stint for the album. I finished it with Jack Grace who I produced the rest of the album with. It’s been a very collaborative process. Lanks’ music has a definite stamp, production-wise as well.”
In video clips or live appearances, Ngaiire provides a visual feast for the senses. Her striking sense of style extends to elaborate costumes and artwork. She says of ‘Shiver’, “The aesthetic feature of the sonic and the visual values tie in. We’ve worked backwards on this album, collecting all the visuals first and then wrote the music afterwards. It was an interesting experiment. I don’t know if I’d do it that way again or maybe differently. But it was a good exercise in challenging your brain to think backwards.”
‘Shiver’ launches with kicking electro beats, Ngaiire’s smooth and soaring vocals accompanied by tight musicianship with slick production. It delivers a bridge between past work and evolving influences. “Coming up as a young artist, I was very much about an acoustic, soul, folk [sound]. Things started to change as I started getting into other music being made by people around me.”
She recalls listening to her mother’s CD collection as a child. “She had a warped mixture at the time. In PNG, buying CDs is very expensive. You had to look hard to find ones that weren’t pirated. I listened to Mariah Carey, the soundtrack of ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’, Deep Forest and Bob Marley. Mariah was probably the first one I connected with. I’d sit in front of the CD player or radio and mimic her. Then I discovered Jeff Buckley and that just turned me upside down. I thought, ‘I wanna do what he’s doing and make people feel the way that Jeff makes me feel’.”
While echoing elements of Ngaiire’s nu-soul, roots and R&B origins, ‘Shiver’ suggests huge Pop potential for a wider audience. “I’ve think I’ve got better at writing pop melodies, writing with other people and learning how they piece together a song, : she says. “I think there’ll always be a part of me that wants to be slightly quirky, left of centre. Because that’s probably the type of person I am. But I really appreciate what it takes to write a traditional pop song. People who do that are really clever. ‘Shiver’ isn’t necessarily a pop song but I guess there’s something in it that still connects with people and you have to give it some time to settle and make sense.” The new band line-up features two bass, keys and a drummer. “We’ve worked so incredibly hard. And because everyone knows each other as friends, we look out for each other. Especially me being the boss, I guess,” she giggles. “I am the boss! I try to make sure everyone is getting what they need to perform the best they can.”
She’s excited to join the WOMADelaide line-up.
“It’s my favourite festival in Australia. I always have such incredible experiences I don’t’ get at any others. A lot of the music they bring over is very kind of raw and appeals to the essence of what makes you a human. That stuff that gives you goosebumps. The whole atmosphere of community, the family vibe. Usually I hardly go out at festivals, just happy to hang in the green room. But WOMAD makes you want to be a part of it.”
PNG performer Sprigga Mek is also on the bill. “Yeah, I saw that! It’s really exciting for me because I’ve been the only PNG artist in most , probably all, the bills I’ve been on.”
WOMADelaide 2020 will be held from 6-9 March in Adelaide, South Australia. Tickets can be purchased www.womadelaide.com.au
Written by Chris Lambie
