The X-Factor contestants put heart and soul into recording charity single The Fight Song.
The X-Factor contestants put heart and soul into recording charity single The Fight Song.
The top talents from this year’s X Factor take to the mic to raise money for charity. By Paula Yeoman.
You loved them. You hated them. But there is no denying New Zealand super groups and charity singles are a rich and colourful part of our history.
Remember Sailing Away? That patriotic piece of Kiwi music gold aimed at rallying support for New Zealand's 1987 America's Cup bid? It remains firmly etched - for better or worse - in the memories of those over 30.
The 1992 Red Nose Day ditty You Make the Whole World Smile was so cute and catchy Anika Moa did it again in 2010. In 2012, Flight of the Conchords took the charity song to new heights of hilariousness with Feel Inside (and stuff like that).
They are tough acts to follow. But that hasn't stopped The X Factor 2015's Top 12 from securing their place in New Zealand music history by recording a tune, Fight Song, proceeds of which go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
At just three feel-good minutes and 30 heartwarming seconds long, it's easy to assume the 12 acts have quickly bashed out their takes between rehearsals for their main priority - the weekly live showdowns. Living found it was anything but at an exclusive behind-the-scenes viewing of the recording process.
The contestants, a number of whom have since been voted off, are gathered at Smoke Studios in Auckland on a hot, sunny Sunday afternoon.
Loop and beat boxer extraordinaire Beau Monga is the only one outside in the carpark. He's pacing up and down and in deep concentration, focused on the sounds blasting through his headphones.
Just inside the door, someone is crashed out uncomfortably in the corner. A little later, he reveals himself to be Nofu Lameko.
Brendon Thomas, minus his Vibes, looks every part the cool retro-rocker he seems on TV. He's quietly strumming his guitar, oblivious to the hum of the other contestants loudly chatting and laughing, in scenes reminiscent of a Year 13 common room.
They're all waiting for the call-up to lay down vocals in Fight Song, a track most of them had never heard until just days earlier. It's written by American singer-songwriter Rachel Platten and fittingly details her struggle to follow her dream in music.
A lot of New Zealanders - particularly those who don't listen to pop radio - are unlikely to know Platten or the song. But MediaWorks' Group Entertainment Content Director, Andrew Szusterman, is confident they've picked wisely.
"We worked with Sony Music to find the right song that suited the voices of our contestants. It has a great message and once we heard it, we knew it was the right one," he says.
The tune was released to radio and iTunes on Friday.
Nyssa Collins is the first to step up to the mic. Next is Brendon. And then it's Beau. There has been speculation over whether the 20-year-old can do more than make weird and wonderful sounds with his mouth. But any doubts are quickly dispelled. Beau can sing, and then some.
Producer Sam de Jong stands at the production desk behind glass. As the man at the helm, he knows what he wants. He's firm but friendly.
"Your voice sounds great. Open up wide, bro, and keep that snare in the middle and keep trying different things at the end," he tells Beau.
Next to de Jong is sound engineer Nathan Tiddy and vocal coach Lavina Williams. She is brutally honest, but the feedback is constructive and the contestants soak it up like sponges.
Lavina is not happy with some of the vocals from boy-band Stuss. "Put a bit of pulse in there, my brother," she directs the slightly sleepy one who is up first.
"Oh hell no! That was off!" she tells the next. He does another take. "That's better," she says.
The process continues for hours. Some nail it on their first go, others do countless takes until they get their part just so.
Cameras film their every move for the video, so it's not just how they sound that matters, it's how they look, too. It must be exhausting, especially when you consider most have only been in a professional studio a few times, if at all. But none of them show it. Most are wide-eyed and bursting with excitement.
Sibling trio Fare Thee Well is beyond excited that one of Smoke Studios' in-house producers, Nic Manders, worked on Brooke Fraser's debut album What to Do About Daylight.
"Nic isn't here today. But when I walked in and met him, I was shaking," says Laura-Lee Stevenson.
"We were, like, 'You're the person behind that album?' And he was, like, casually, 'Yeah that's me'," says sister Bethany, laughing.
"It's one of our favourite New Zealand albums of all time," adds brother Jared," so it was quite nerve-racking."
It's a second shot at fame for 29-year-old Steve Broad.
Invercargill teacher Steve Broad gets into the groove in the studio.
Anyone who has watched the show will know entering The X Factor was a huge step for the Invercargill teacher, after coming third on New Zealand Idol in 2005.
"It was brutal. I was 19 and I got a heck of a shock doing it. It wasn't what I thought the dream would become and I did leave pretty broken by it, but I don't want that to be a sob story. "The X Factor has given me a second chance," he says.
Stories like Steve's reveal just how much a competition like this means to someone with talent, who didn't hit their stride at the right time or, in the case of others, didn't have the platform from which to launch.
It makes the lyrics and sentiment behind Fight Song more poignant. It's an emotive, anthemic battle cry with a soaring chorus and it's obvious each contestant who has stepped up to the mic has connected with its meaning.
They're also singing for children and families who are facing their own struggles.
The day before, Steve and the Fare Thee Well trio were among the contestants who visited Ronald McDonald House.
"One family had been in and out for seven years," says Laura-Lee.
"I have so much respect for them that they're still together and fighting. That's why I love this song, because it represents them, in a way."
"It was great to be at that ground level and see where the money is potentially going," adds Steve. "We're anxious about a two-and-a-half minute performance on the show. This was perspective. You realise as much as we're on an important road for ourselves, it's dwarfed by what these kids are going through." Steve spent most of his time at Ronald McDonald House with Darcy.
"He's 14 and he had a brain tumour that has meant he has gone blind. I didn't want to leave his side. I was blown away by his positivity.
"Here's this boy ... what he's dealing with at 14 isn't stuff I can comprehend. The way he's pushing through it and his commitment to still dream big dreams and fight his fight is inspiring."
As for Fight Song's prospects in the charts? That's up to New Zealand. But it's as catchy as can be . Here's picking it soars straight to the top 10 and raises a bunch of money for charity.
New Zealand's top 5 most memorable super groups, charity singles and songs for a cause
Sailing Away
In the 80s Britain had the Band Aid charity and America had US For Africa. New Zealand had All of US, a supergroup formed not for charity but to give our Kiwi yachtsmen some wind in their sails in the 1987 America's Cup. Their song Sailing Away boasted Kiwi music heroes from Dave Dobbyn to Tim Finn, Annie Crummer and Sharon O'Neill, who all delivered their parts with ease, as did comedian Billy T James. But that was overshadowed by the far from velvet tones of the legendary Barry Crump. It wasn't Kiwi music's finest hour but it did hold the number one spot for nine solid weeks, a record only broken in 2009 by Smashproof and Gin Wigmore with Brother.
You Make the Whole World Smile
The Red Nose Day song You Make the Whole World Smile was first unleashed on the nation in 1992 when Hammond Gamble risked his reputation as a serious bluesman to sing alongside a cast of New Zealand's finest broadcasters, including Judy Bailey and Paul Holmes. Watching the video now induces tears of laughter and leaves more questions than answers - is that a big pink kangaroo standing behind Gamble? Where did Tem Morrison learn to do trills like that? And why the hell did no one tell Simon Barnett to turn down the volume a notch? In 2010, Anika Moa redid the song for Cure Kids. It was a wise decision to add a chorus of children, as opposed to a gaggle of unco-ordinated radio and TV personalities.
In 2012, it took Flight of the Conchords to teach New Zealand you could make a charity single that was funny, but still sounded great. It was gold to hear the mighty Savage rapping about bubbles and the tooth fairy while a deadpan Boh Runga pleaded with the nation for a solution to stop kids from doing spews. It was elevated to the next level of hilarity when Lizzie Marvelly added classical touches to the chorus. It made a heap of money for Cure Kids' Red Nose Day appeal and helped to ease some of that weird mix of shame and pride we felt about some of the aforementioned attempts at using music to raise money or to promote a cause.
Damn the Dam
Legend has it John Hanlon was reluctant to record protest song Damn the Dam. Photo / Bill Beavis
We're digging deep into the vaults of time with this protest song by John Hanlon, which has an intriguing background story. According to folksong.org.nz, the 1973 folk tune started as a two-minute radio commercial for New Zealand Fibreglass, lobbying the Government to make insulation compulsory in new homes. Hippies of the early 70s lapped it up and Hanlon - reluctantly, as legend has it - released it as a single, giving all profits to environmental groups. With its background bird song and stirring words of defiance, it then became the battle cry for those opposed to the damning of Lake Manapouri for a hydro-power station.
Anchor Me
It's hard to find fault in this 2005 song for Greenpeace, remembering the 20th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior. From its haunting opening, delivered by Hinewehi Mohi, to the exquisite harmonies of Kirsten Morrell and Che Fu, followed by Anika Moa and Milan Borich, this cover of the Mutton Birds' classic Anchor Me, is heavy and hopeful. It's deserving of its place as one of our most memorable songs for charity, because it marked a tragic and significant event in our country's history. It's a great song and these Kiwi artists did it justice.
• The Fight Song: The X Factor Top 12 is on sale on iTunes for $2.39. Proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House charities. Catch a sneak peek at the music video on the show tonight and tune in on April 20 to see the acts reunited for a live performance of the song.
