Molly Pawson rolls into the deep end at Mission Concert

Molly Pawson is opening for Robbie Williams this weekend at the Mission concerts.

An Adele song belted out by a 6-year-old in the back seat of a car was the beginning of a talented musician’s journey.

This weekend, that journey ramps up as Molly Pawson opens for international superstar Robbie Williams at the Mission Concert.

Molly, 17, is a singer-songwriter from Dannevirke and a boarder at Napier Girls’ High School.

Her mum, Steph, says they were in the car one day along with Molly, then 6, and her sister Brenna.

“Brenna put an Adele song on and the next minute Molly was belting out the song,” Steph said.

“It really was amazing and quite something to hear.”

While Molly says “part of her” remembers that day, it was a performance at the Dannevirke Town Hall when she was 10 years old that made her realise how much she loved singing.

“It was the Dannevirke Anzac Day show and I sang Amazing Grace,” Molly said.

“I really loved it, and the reaction I got from the audience made me want to keep doing it.”

Earlier this year she won a national TV talent show called Take The Mic.

“The head of music at Napier Girls’ High gave me the application to enter. I thought “what’s the worst that can happen?”.

“I was selected for the show and then I kept on getting through to the next stage and the next stage. Me and mum kept saying we wouldn’t get our hopes up. Then I won and it was like, oh my god, this is crazy.”

Molly has also sung her original songs with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and came in the National Top 10 in the solo/duo section of SmokeFree Rockquest 2023. She has also done a lot of winery gigs.

“When I first started singing at wineries I rang everywhere. It’s really nice now that I’m getting invited to do a gig.”

Her invitation to open for Robbie Williams wasn’t smooth, but it was satisfying.

“I got this message on my phone but I couldn’t open it because my phone was acting up. All I could see was “Hi I’m from the Mission”.

“Me and mum were trying all kinds of things to open it. Eventually, we got it and my mum screamed.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m excited and nervous.”

After the shows, to what is expected to be 50,000 people over two days, Molly will be making plans to go to Christchurch to do an art course.

“I want to develop myself as an artist and will be producing 20 songs.”

Her bio says she has a country/pop edge and has been compared to songwriters such as Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell.

Molly plays at 2.30pm on Saturday and Sunday followed by Napier’s acclaimed singer-songwriter Danica Bryant at 3.45pm.

Then it’s well-known Hawke’s Bay musician Stretch at 5pm, who as ‘Mr Stretch’ at Port Ahuriri and one of the teachers training up the Kapa Haka group, will be bringing on stage a group of girls to sing two waiata with him.

That will be followed by Ladyhawke at 6.15pm.

Robbie Williams hits the stage at 8pm.

• Linda Hall is a Hastings-based assistant editor for Hawke’s Bay Today and has 30 years of experience in newsrooms. She writes regularly on arts and entertainment, lifestyle and hospitality, and pens a column.