Dunedin’s own folk singer/songwriter Nadia Reid has been described as the saviour of folk music. Dave Dobbyn called her “spellbinding,” “transporting,” and “inspiring”. Her second album, Preservation, was ranked No. 2 on Mojo Magazine’s list of the 50 best albums of 2017. Jamie Green caught up with her before her Dunedin show on the High & Lonely Tour.
The last few years have been quite big for you. How do you find success and how do you find life within this murky industry?
I don’t let myself really think about it too much. I guess the biggest thing that’s changed is that I get to focus 100% on my art and I have a lot of time. For a musician or an artist the most valuable thing is to have time to create. Sometimes in the early years I had to work and that really hindered my processes. It’s a tough question. Nothing’s really changed. I think if I thought about it too much or got tangled in all the success or whatever, I think I would get…. I’ve just got to not think about it.
What is success? How do you quantify it personally?
I think the way I measure it is sort of seeing my shows grow. Doing a New Zealand tour and having 90% of those shows full is really important to me. It just indicates that this work is of value and it’s meaningful to people. Other things like awards and reviews you’ve just gotta keep it at the sidelines.
You’ve been touring New Zealand a bit lately, and your Dunedin show is this Friday July 20 at Fifty Gorillas. Do you get an itch to perform?
I’ve been playing heaps actually, I don’t even know why I’m going on tour. But I do [get an itch], that’s kind of what it’s all about.
Some of it is just needing to play and keep playing. My band and I did a couple of festivals, we went to Australia and I thought it would be good for us to have another little run before going on to make album three.
You get the itch to play, then you play for long stretches, do you get the low after that? Like ‘oh jeez I’ve played heaps I can’t be bothered right now’?
Yeah there are definitely cycles. Like last year when I got back from Europe and I’d been there for two months I felt really depleted. Because there is a lot of energy output touring and playing, you need to have a break otherwise you’d lose the plot. I had a bit of a break, and coming back to Dunedin was part of that, just to lay low for a bit.
In your line of work, which first and foremost is writing a song – putting the bones together and covering it with skin and muscle and whatnot. Do you need to be in a place like the comfort of a home for that?
I actually find the road a pretty good place to write. I think I need both. Like seasons in my hometown then seasons on the road and travelling and experiencing different things, I definitely need both. Otherwise it would get really boring.
What’s been the fodder for new songs? Because in the past it’s change and love found and lost and moving on, that’s always been really important for your songwriting.
It’s pretty much the same thing I guess. I’m a little bit older and maybe smarter and wiser.
Have you ever sabotaged a relationship just because you’ve got writer’s block? Like “shit, I need something to write about, I’m gonna make this relationship real bad”.
No… well it had crossed my mind. No, no, no, the answer’s no.
I was surprised about your decision to play at such a small venue. I reckon you could have played at the town hall.
Well, maybe. I guess this tour isn’t really about playing the big halls. I mean I’m playing in a wine cellar for three nights but I’ve got a deep history with that place. These shows are more about being with the people that want to be there. I want them to be intimate shows, you know? I only want 200 people to come. But also, there are not actually a lot of other venues for 300-400 people.
A lot of artists I think sometimes get recognition relatively instantly. Do you feel like that or do you think everyone puts in the hard yards?
I think you’re right, I think some people have to work harder than others. And that’s unfair, but that’s how it is.
I mean I guess when you get to a point where this thing now is sustainable and is my career, it feels like I’ve worked for it, you know what I mean?
I just became obsessed and never stopped. Which is kind of what you need really.