Gin Wigmore sits down with the Herald to discuss coming home, Music, Family and living in the states. Video / NZ Herald
When Gin Wigmore comes back to New Zealand, “seeing Mum” is the first thing on her agenda.
“And getting a homecooked meal. Hopefully a lasagna,” she tells the Herald.
The Auckland-born singer is back in New Zealand for her “long overdue” regional tour of Aotearoa, and she’s “amazed” that it’s finally happening.
“I wanted to have a tour that could go through all the little towns I haven’t played or haven’t been to in over ten years. It’s really good to go to the heartland of New Zealand and all these cool little spots,” she shares.
Now the US is home for Wigmore, but she loves coming back to New Zealand and “getting grounded, being one with nature, swimming in that beautiful ocean”, she shares.
“Start taking in nature is really what I do when I first get back. I miss the pace of life in New Zealand. And I really try and retain that, the essence of that when I’m back in the States, and carry that sort of Kiwi spirit.
“I’ve kind of cherry-picked the really nice parts of being a New Zealander and have applied them to the States.”
What are the not-so-nice parts? Wigmore admits she doesn’t miss the size of New Zealand.
Kiwi singer-songwriter Gin Wigmore lives in Los Angeles with her rocker musician husband, Jason Butler, and their two young sons. Photo / Bobbi Rich @mamahotdog
“It’s very small, which is definitely the charm. But I actually really like big cities, I like big populations. LA is massive, and with that breeds so much diversity and so many different cultures and foods and languages and different ways of coming at things.
“And I love that, I really embrace that and I think it’s a really nice way to have compassion, gratitude, understanding for others. And I think that you’ve gotta be kind and accepting and compassionate when you are living amongst millions of people to make it work, you know?”
This time round, Wigmore reveals she’s left her husband Jason Butler and sons Pascal, 5, and Izaiah, almost 3, at home in LA.
She became a mum for the second time just as the pandemic hit in March 2020.
“We went into lockdown in LA the day that I gave birth,” she recalls. “It was pretty gnarly being in the hospital. Everyone’s in there in full PPE and it just felt really strange and sterile.
“But it was actually kind of good in some ways having a lockdown baby because you get so much time. So it was kind of nice having a little newborn at the time.”
Since becoming a mum, music is not as “all-encompassing” as it once was, she shares.
“It’s one of the many things I do now, rather than just my whole life. The world has opened up for me as I’ve gotten older and I’m like, I’m gonna do it all. Growing up, when you’re first starting as an artist, you’re kind of told, you have to just do this - and it’s so not true.”
Now when she makes music, she doesn’t like to be “restrained in any one particular style”, and her new single Someone’s Gonna Die Tonight, from her next album, reflects that.
“It kind of stems from the death of the ego. I’m deep in therapy in my thirties now,” she shares.
“I’m really unpacking all the s*** that I did in my twenties that may have affected and hurt others, and how I can grow and be a better person for the rest of my life. And as a parent, and all of these things. So I’m looking at all the things that I’ve held onto as a child to survive that maybe I don’t need to carry on into my adulthood.
“It’s sort of the death of some of those things, those survival skills that I don’t really need anymore. So it’s deep, it’s heavy,” she laughs.
“But at the same time, it’s such a vibe, this song, and we’ve been playing it live on this tour, so it’s been really cool to see the feedback and how it’s translating.”
Last week, Wigmore’s Hawke’s Bay show was cancelled following the devastating impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on the region.
A statement from Live Nation read:“ Regrettably, Gin Wigmore’s show at Black Barn in Hawke’s Bay will no longer be proceeding, due to the impact of recent weather events. The decision has been made to cancel the event, Gin looks forward to visiting the region at a later date.”
Following the cancellation of Wigmore’s Hawke’s Bay show, she announced two more concerts as part of her regional tour. The two shows will take place on Saturday, March 25 in Mt Maunganui and Sunday, March 26 in Auckland.
