Parabola West
/Raglan based singer-songwriter Parabola West is releasing her new single 'Fire' this Friday October 16th, with a special release showcase at Galatos in Auckland (see details at the bottom of this page).
Fire won the $10,000 Making Tracks grant from NZ On Air andtheaudience.co.nz's Wildcard Funding Chart winner in May 2015, with the track produced at The Lab Studio in Mt Eden with Olly Harmer and Jol Mulholland.
We were lucky enough to catch up wth Parabola ahead of the release.
Where did you grow up and how did you get into music?
I moved around quite a bit as a kid but mostly grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts on the East Coast of America. There was always music happening around our little apartment. My older sister is a classically trained musician, and so when there wasn't classical music going on there was my mom's collection of folk and pop music from the 60s-80's. I started writing my own songs and teaching myself the piano when I was a teenager and it really helped me through the tough times.
Who were your early influences?
My mother's record collection introduced me to ABBA, The Mamas and the Papas, and so much more. And of course my sister's cassette's - she introduced me to Tori Amos 'Little Earthquakes' and I loved it profoundly. And New Order 'Substance'.
How would you describe your sound?
Evolving! But there is a bit of folk, a bit of ambient electropop, and a bit of girl at the piano in the mix. I aspire to be like what Tori Amos and Bjork would create if they made an album together.
You released your debut EP ‘Did You Hear?' in 2014. How was that experience?
Releasing 'Did You Hear?' was really a line in the sand for me, it was my 'coming out' as a musician moment and it was wonderful. It took all the courage I could muster to push through the fears and insecurities that had kept me from music for so many years. So I'm really proud of that debut.
Your latest song ‘Fire' won the $10,000 Making Tracks grant from NZ On Air & was the Audience's Wildcard Funding Chart winner. How did it feel to win these?
It was such a great feeling to win! To me it validated that I'm on the right track, and the support I received from far and wide was humbling and beautifully encouraging.
How was it working with Olly Harmer and Jol Mulholland recording the song?
Those two are Ninjas. I sent over a rough idea of the sound I wanted and Jol worked on it before I arrived, so on the day we had this great template to build on and Olly was amazing. Ridiculously talented.
The teaser for the music video looks fantastic. What can you tell us about the shooting for the video?
We shot over a few days across various locations, and the first day was at our home in Raglan. The video is Directed by Shae Sterling and he put together an incredible team, so everything looks stunning and the locations were so beautifully shot. We had only moved to Raglan the week before, so it was a strange conversation with neighbours on the day saying, 'so there might be some masked people in cloaks carrying fire torches and there will be a flying drone but everything is fine. Nice to meet you!'
You've got a special showcase at Galatos next Friday night where the video will premiere. You must be looking forward to that!
Yes, absolutely! I'm really excited to share the video and perform for everyone who worked so hard to help me win the Wildcard Chart. 'Fire' has opened my sound up to some new fans as well, so I am looking forward to taking everyone on a journey and making sure there is something for everyone. It's going to be an awesome night.
Following the showcase, what are your plans for summer and then heading into 2016?
I have promised my husband at least a weekend off, but after that I'll be performing as much as I can and heading back in to the studio to finish the next EP.
Parabola West 'Fire' Single Release Party
Friday October 16th: Galatos, Auckland
Tickets via Under The Radar