My happy place: Moses Mackay - singer

Moses Mackay finds joy with a box of popcorn at the movies.

My happy place is the movies. It's my quiet time - I just go in with a box of popcorn and chill out for a few hours.

When I was a kid it was a treat to be able to go to the cinema because it was quite expensive. I remember seeing A Bug's Life and The Prince of Egypt with my Nana at the Wairau Park cinemas. I would have been 8.

The Prince of Egypt really hit me, because it's a musical and the main character's name was Moses, as well. I had butterflies in my stomach - everything felt amazing and inspiring. And I loved it because I was with my Nana, who passed away at a young age, and we were really close.

I wore these big, fat hearing aids at the time, so I guess going to the cinema where everything was loud made me feel everything was happening right there and I could hear it all.

I was born with a hearing impairment and was partially deaf until I was about 12 or 13.

It's kind of weird but just after my Nana passed away I went into the doctor for my check-up and my doctor said, "This is crazy, this is a miracle, your hearing is perfect."

I fell in love with musicals. I was obsessed with The Lion King for a long time. I memorised the whole script and I'd sit there reciting it. I used to love all the old-school Disney films, like Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and I'd sing along with all the films.

I was just a regular kid who loved music. At that point I was playing classical piano, but music wasn't a big thing. Watching musicals really inspired me to just get out there and sing.

I just love the whole experience of going to the movies. You're solely there to watch, and you can really immerse in it. I love action films, where there are heaps of things going on, and cartoons, and I'm a sucker for romance. I love soundtracks, too - always have. I have The Lord of the Rings soundtrack on my phone and my iPod and I listen to it all the time.

Of course now there are other things I can go and see, like a live musical or an opera - something on a grander scale - but movies for me have the connection with my childhood.

Anyone who comes with me will tell you that when it comes on I start going, "Ooh, it's starting, it's starting, it's starting!" I'm back to being a kid again.

- as told to Bronwyn Sell