1. Describe you/your sound in a single sentence.
I like the way Nick Bollinger at RNZ (Radio New Zealand) once described me and my music: "A red-hot honky-tonker, somewhere between Patsy Cline and Wanda Jackson with perhaps just a little bit of Peggy Lee sophistication".
2. Your show is called Songs of Sinners. Tell us a bit about the theme of the tour and why it's called that.
I wanted to tell the story of how gospel and blues became rock and roll. How the lines were always blurred between the sacred and the profane with artists who grew up in the church (like Sam Cook, Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples, Ray Charles) but then became secular stars. Music that isn't necessarily well-known but, without its influence, we may not have had the artists that it shaped - from Elvis to Prince.
3. You've been touring extensively overseas over the past year, and you're about to hit the road in New Zealand. What's the biggest difference between playing for audiences around the world and playing to a local crowd?
There is more pressure to prove yourself to an unknown audience, so in New Zealand I can just relax and have fun. NZ audiences are more familiar with me and my music, so it's like picking up where you left off with an old friend.
4. The way fans listen to music is changing all the time. What do you think the industry will look like in a few years' time. Can you foresee any major changes or trends?
I do like the vinyl resurgence and hope that people keep gravitating to the physical, tangible forms of music, as I feel it adds value to the whole experience. Digital is so disposable and doesn't hold the same weight for me. I'm interested to see what the next physical form of music could be and if there will be a backlash to music you can't touch or really own.
