KEY POINTS:
She's in New Zealand for a tour to support her new album, Unravelling. (And whaddya know, Supernova are here on March 24.)
We hear you have a New Zealand story.
I do. I was playing in New York some years back and this handsome man was at the show. We somehow got on the conversation of travelling and he asked me if I could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would I go? I told him New Zealand and he asked me why. I said I didn't know, I just had a feeling about it. He pulled a carving necklace out of his shirt and it was from New Zealand. He gave it to me and said he hoped I would go one day. I've had it all this time.
And here you are. Was it that instinct that made you decide to go on Rockstar?
I was in this process of making decisions intuitively and over-analysing the situation, so I made the situation counter-analytical. I had a really strong intuitive feeling I should do it, as scary and weird as it was.
Have you written any songs about it?
I wrote Unravelling long before I did the show or even conceived of doing anything on television. It's funny because the lyrics are talking about being an artist and dealing with who you are as a creative entity, versus the ridiculous obsession some people have with becoming rich and famous. Going on the show is definitely an unravelling and it was challenging for me to stay with that intention when I was surrounded by a lot of other people with other intentions.
What was the best thing you learned?
Going back to using my body as a form of communicating. I'd become more still in my performances and they called me out on that. As annoyed as I was when they did, I realised they were right.
What are the pros and cons of doing the show?
A lot of my fans said they were frustrated because they didn't feel like a lot of the things they love about me came through. People got a sense of me but had to go and find out who I am through other channels. It's hard to tell right now if that's good or bad.
What were your fans referring to?
I've spent a lot of time in my life using music as a public forum to talk about social justice. I've worked a lot with at-risk youth and done a lot of work with humanitarian organisations, especially with kids. We talked a lot about sustainable fuels, all the kinds of things people are talking about in the world. For me, those are things I'm involved in.
And personality-wise?
I'm pretty sensitive even though I'm a really outgoing and open person. I don't have a lot of secrets so that affects my music as well as my personal life. Something that's really important to me is being open and encouraging other people to communicate better with each other and create a better way of life.
Patrice Pike plays tonight at Bacio; tomorrow, King's Arms; 2.20pm on Saturday, Shore Sounds Rockfest 07, Onewa Domain, Northcote and later at the Masonic Tavern, Devonport; Tuesday, San Francisco Bath House, Wellington; Wednesday, Bar Mode, Palmerston North; Thursday, Icons Sports Bar and Cafe, New Plymouth; Friday, The Empire, Auckland.
Most tickets from Ticketek or venue.
