STACK NZ May Issue #62

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the world differently but he didn’t need to say it, he just did it and I happily followed. He is a wonderful man. Are you worried that some of your older fans won’t like the new sound? I love my new sound and I hope they do too. It’s for everyone not just me, so my hope is for them all to come along for the journey. What’s your favourite song on the album? At the moment it is Our Love Will Die - sombre title but totally worth it for the lyrics. Love the deep groove and the keys – there goes Jol with his magic! Will you need to rework some of the material for live performances? I am doing a live album release at the Powerstation [May 28], but re-configured. There are very limited tickets and I will performing on the dance floor amongst the people. It will be totally refreshing and I will get to look my fellow humans in the eyes and love them even more. Were you pleased with the way Songs for Bubba went and any plans for a follow-up?

Anika Moa is one of New Zealand’s best loved singer song-writers. She began writing when she was just 13 and catapulted to fame when she was signed US giant Atlantic Records and was whisked off to NewYork aged 18. Moa has since gone on to win a host of New Zealand Music Awards including Best Female SoloArtist prizes in 2008 and 2010, Songwriter of the Year in 2002, and, most recently Best Children’s Album for last year’s Songs For Bubbas. Her fifth studio album Queen At The Table has just been released. This album is very different from what you’ve done before.What prompted it? It’s an album about confronting the love and loss moments. Jol Mulholland and I did it very quietly over a year, and just worked on it like two school boys. We decided to ditch the instruments early on in the piece, as they didn’t add anything new or great to what we needed; beats are the main focus and melodies and harmonies… loving it. You joked last year that this was you trying to be Lorde. Are you a fan and did her album have any influence on it? Yes, I like to joke about that often and I am indeed a fan. A huge fan of not only her music, but in her feminist presence in an often male-dominated music industry. She defies all boundaries and is acutely aware of her musical prowess.

Were all the songs written with a view to have an electronic setting or did you rework any older songs? Jol and I wrote all these songs together and fresh – the subjects came after the beats. It was like the beats influenced what I was going to say, and how. It was refreshing to be able to write with someone, I’ve always done it by myself. There’s still a perception among some people that electronic-based albums must be easy – “all you have to do is program a computer and you’re away”. How hard is it, in reality? It’s really, really easy BUT it’s not easy to write good songs. You must have everything in balance.

I was so happy it took off the way it did. I never expected it to be so popular – I am writing songs for Bubbas 2 as we speak!

Queen At The Table by Anika Moa is out now.

What’s the last record that you bought? Mel Parsons’ Drylands . It is a wonderful album. Very nostalgic in its approach and she is one of my best friends [laughs].

How did you find working with Jol Mulholland?

Jol is like a brother to me now. I admire his production, writing, musicianship and everything else. He inspired me to see

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