NZ Herald Entertainment Writer Lillie Rohan, Lillie Rohan sits down with NZ legend Tiki Taane to discuss the upcoming Synthony in the Domain and his life in music. Video / NZ Herald
Ahead of performing at Synthony in the Domain, award-winning Kiwi artist Tiki Taane sits down with the Herald to discuss his lengthy career, mentorship in the industry and his top piece of advice for aspiring artists.
Tiki Taane is a person of stature in the New Zealand music industry, but even a musician as seasoned as he is admits there was a time when he almost burnt out.
Speaking to the Herald, the star confesses at one point his time was largely spent away from the people who matter the most: his wife, Rachel Axis, their two children Charlie, 15, and Karcia, 12, and the family’s dogs.
In the peak of his fame, the star says his career, his lifestyle were full throttle, ”I used to be, ‘yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s go, let’s go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah’,” he says, “I was reaching my capacity of what I can do and it was burning me out.”
The 47-year-old adds that once he realised there was a problem, he changed it and it started by telling people no, “I’ve learnt to really step back from a lot of things and just say yes to the stuff I really, really want to do and the stuff that makes me feel really good.”
He uses his upcoming performance at Synthony in the Domain on February 10 as an example. “I said ‘yes, absolutely’, because I know that that’s just for me, it uplifts my soul and it’s something that’s really unique and really beautiful and a great challenge too. So, that helps me balance things out.”
However, it wasn’t an epiphany that happened overnight. Taane has been in the game a long time, after first shooting to fame in the 1990s while performing with the leading New Zealand band, Salmonella Dub. Initially, he was a live soundman, but as many in the industry know, when someone as talented as Taane joins a band behind the scenes, it’s not long before he’s up the front.
Tiki Taane on stage with his children Karcia and Charlie while shooting his documentary film in collaboration with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Photo / Supplied
Quickly earning a reputation as a talented soundman, he dabbled in composition creating For the Love of It. The track immediately resonated with the band who, along with Taane, recorded it and released it to the public. Soon, it was topping Kiwi charts and well, the rest is history — kind of.
After 11 years with the band, the star went out on his own, creating Always On My Mind, a tune that has become New Zealand’s most successful single of all time. Now, he’s working more behind the scenes helping Kiwi artists like Six60 and up-and-comers Flaxxies, but he also does a few shows, like Synthony in the Domain taking place in Auckland on February 10.
“Last year, it was just so much fun. I did the Prodigy medley — so, Breathe, Omen, Firestarter and it was just, it was the most intense nine minutes of my life,” he says with a grin. “Performing with this kind of thing, Synthony, it’s so unique and it’s just so powerful. It’s a real privilege to perform with orchestras as well.”
Taane says he’s stoked to be joining the Synthony No.5 orchestra on stage again, along with their conductor Sarah Grace Williams. And while he’ll be on stage with them for a performance, as well as his own one-man show, it’s going to look a little different than last year.
“I can’t say what it is, so you gotta come and check it out, it’s a big surprise and there’s so many amazing artists and singers involved, new artists coming through on this lineup too.”
Whatever Taane does, he’s got the audience’s best interests at heart; he knows they’re there to see him, that they’ve spent the money, taken time out of their day and he wants to respect that. He doesn’t want his audience to feel as though they are just watching the show, he wants them to be a part of it.
“All the crap that’s going on around the world, there’s so much trauma, so much intensity,” he says. “I let people know that you’re here to have a good time and this is a safe place. This is the place to let it go. So dance it out. Have a good time. Respect each other. We’re one family. We’re creating this energy together. So let’s have it, you know what I mean?”
It’s perhaps this kind of thoughtfulness and kindness that has seen Taane’s career naturally evolve into one of mentorship.
It all began in 2010 he says, when Six60 were recording their first-ever album, Gold. The band — made up of Matiu Walters, Ji Fraser, Chris Mac, Marlon Gerbes, Hoani Matenga and Eli Paewai, had never been in a studio. Seeking a hand to hold, they asked Taane to produce their first album.
Tiki Taane has taken on more of a mentorship role in the industry helping bands like Six60 and Flaxxies. Photo / Alex Cairns
“That’s when that kind of whole thing started happening. I realised that these younger bands and artists are looking to me for, say, mentorship or just some sort of guidance,” he says. “So from there, doing the Six60 stuff, it’s moved on to other bands that I’ve been mentoring. There’s a young band called the Flaxxies who I think are great. If they stick at it, I think they’re gonna have a great future in Aotearoa New Zealand, but also overseas as well.”
While he didn’t actively seek it out, Taane says he enjoys his new role in the industry, “I’m so blessed to be able to be doing music, still today and still at this level, and if I can pass down the knowledge, then absolutely.”
And, after a more than 30-year-long career, he says there are many secrets to success but only one that stands out the most. “Don’t be a d**k,” he chuckles. “It’s a small industry in New Zealand, and I’ve seen people come and go. I’ve seen artists come and go, I’ve seen promoters come and go, I’ve seen festivals come and go and if you’re an egg, if you’re a d**k, then you don’t last long in the scene.”
LOWDOWN:
Who: Synthony, Tiki Taane, Rudimental, John Butler and more
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, Kiwi celebs we can’t help but love and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
