It was a poignant moment when Ladi6 went on stage to accept her Tui from Bic Runga at the NZ Music Awards. Ladi was genuinely thrilled. "This is amazing to receive an award from you. You've won one of these right?"
She has, in fact, won 11, plus a Silver Scroll, a NZ Order of Merit, and has a bunch of multi-platinum discs, which, despite her youthful visage, surely make her an iconic, legacy artist. Deserving of that kind of adulation.
Yet when it came to writing this, her fourth album, Runga got stuck. She'd had a baby boy, which certainly changed her priorities, but she was also struggling with the notion of repeating herself.
So she opted to freshen things up by collaborating with some other artists - James Milne (aka Lawrence Arabia), Dan Hume (of Evermore) and Kody and Ruban Nielson (of The Mint Chicks). Kody Nielson (who's her partner) also co-produced the album, and famed LA producer Jon Brion (who has worked with Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright and Kanye West, among others) added a few touches - Runga's new production approach not being dissimilar to Brion's confident and evocative use of colourful instruments, without going for "lush".
There's still a touch of melancholy on This Girl's Prepared For War, but a sense of triumph too. Cinematic in its expansive arc, Milne's influence is clear in its dreamy guitar riffs, delicate percussion and gentle mariachi trumpet decorations, but the vocal is pure Runga.
