Ngaiire

Ngaire Joseph, better known by her stage name Ngaiire (pronounced ny-ree or /naɪəriː/), is a Papua New Guinea-born singer based in Sydney.^[1] She is a former backing vocalist for Blue King Brown, Paul Mac and Chet Faker, and has sung on tracks by The Tongue, Thundamentals, Bluejuice, Kilter, Lancelot and Jordan Rakei. She has toured nationally, has played at Glastonbury festival,^[2] sang at the opening ceremony for the 2015 Pacific Games^[3] and was in the top 30 of the second season of Australian Idol.^[4] She is widely recognised as one of Australia's best live performers,^[5][6] and was called one of the greatest living people on earth by Monster Children magazine.^[7] Her debut album, Lamentations was released in 2013 and her second album Blastoma was released in June 2016.

Early life

Ngaiire was born in Lae, Papua New Guinea in 1984 as Ngaire Laun Joseph, and is the eldest of three siblings. She is bilingual, growing up speaking both English and Tok Pisin. Her parents moved to Palmerston North in New Zealand when she was one year old to study, and returned to Papua New Guinea six years later.^[8] Ngaiire was living in Rabaul until Mt Tarvurvur erupted in 1994 and buried the town (including her house) under a deep layer of volcanic ash.^[9] Ngaiire's parents divorced some time after returning to the country, both subsequently remarrying. She claimed learning at an early age that music was something she could use to make her life more stable. "When I was about 11 or 12 and I was living in PNG and singing was just one of those things I did. I listened to a lot of music. Life there has loads of craziness and so many unexpected things happen. Music gave me the ability to talk about and feel all the things that were going on in my world,"^[10] "I always viewed songs as a form of poetry that didn't necessarily need to make sense to anyone else".^[11]

Ngaiire spent a large part of her time in New Zealand after being diagnosed with cancer in her adrenal glands at the age of three.^[12][13] This later influenced the video for "Dirty Hercules", as Ngaiire said "My body is not conventional. I have a rather prominent scar across my stomach from cancer. I struggled a lot with my body after I beat cancer and this clip also represents that journey to acceptance."^[14] She later titled her sophomore album Blastoma and wrote the lead single about life's uncertainty and taking risks.

Ngaiire moved to Lismore, Australia with her mother and stepfather in 2000. She attended Kadina High School, entered the local Accelerator music competition in 2002 and recorded her first song, "I Remember" for the Accelerator 2002: The Winners CD.^[15][16] She then moved to Mackay in Central Queensland to undertake a Bachelor of Jazz Studies in 2003. She was recognised at CQU as an outstanding vocalist by many of Australia's leading jazz performers and fronted a number of local jazz bands.^[17]

Ngaiire achieved moderate success in the 2004 season of Australian Idol, reaching the top 13 before being voted off. She was brought back as a wild card before being voted off a second time, and was again brought back to perform solo as part of the grand final night. Despite never making the top 12, Ngaiire's rendition of "Back to the Middle" was ranked in the 'all time' top 10 Australian Idol performances,^[18] and season three included a formal 'Top 13'. Ngaiire subsequently returned to her studies and attempted to avoid the perceived stigma associated with appearing on the show,^[19] turning down offers from American recording industry professionals in order to remain independent.^[20]

Early career

Ngaiire's second recording was a four-track single called "Luv Sa Giaman",^[21] which translates as Love Tells Lies. She recorded the single with Lismore-based band The Rent in 2005 and released it in Australia through the now-defunct WindSong Records label, and in Papua New Guinea through Chin H Min Music. Ngaiire and The Rent toured in Papua New Guinea in support of the single, her first tour.^[22]

Ngaiire recorded her debut EP Song for No One in 2008 with Sydney-based producer Tony Buchen (aka Buchman). The EP features the single "Song for No One" and the 1920s-style "Glorious". "Glorious" was the most successful song on the EP, with Triple J and NIDA supporting the production of a music video, produced by Karla Conway. Triple J also listed Ngaiire on the 2010 'Next Crop' artist list^[23] and played several of her songs on Triple J Unearthed.

Blue King Brown

Ngaiire joined Blue King Brown as a backing vocalist in 2004 following the success of their debut single "Water". She toured extensively with them for the next four years in support of the band's self-titled debut EP and first album Stand Up, visiting the UK, Japan, Europe and Canada as well as a large part of regional Australia in the process. Ngaiire credits this period as being a time during which she matured as a musician and gained a first-hand knowledge of what being a successful independent artist requires.^[24] Ngaiire 'retired' from full-time touring with BKB in 2008 in order to focus on the release of her own debut EP, but continued to perform with them occasionally up until her 2013 release of Lamentations.^[24]

Paul Mac

Ngaiire recorded the single "It's Not Me, It's You" with Paul Mac in 2005 after Paul tracked her down following her elimination from Australian Idol. Paul subsequently enlisted Ngaiire as a regular feature vocalist during his live performances in support of the 2005 release Panic Room, describing her as a "diminutive bomb of goodness".^[25] "It's Not Me, It's You" was the start of a friendship between the pair, with Paul becoming a mentor to Ngaiire.^[26] Ngaiire and Paul continue to collaborate, with Ngaiire providing guest vocals on Paul's 2015 album Holiday From Me^[27] and with Paul co-writing and co-producing Ngaiire's second album Blastoma.^[28][29]

Collaborations, styles and influences

Ngaiire is recognised as one of Australia's leading future soul artists and has been described as "the beating heart of the contemporary live music scene in Australia".^[5] She is often compared to artists such as Jeff Buckley, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kimbra, and Angie Stone.^[30][31][32] She appeared at the 2014 Glastonbury, the 2015 Culture Collide (Los Angeles) and 2015 CMJ Music Marathon (New York) festivals, contributed to increasing international attention being paid to the resurgence of soul music in Australia.^[33][34]

Ngaiire's musical style is typified by strong, clear vocals that are frequently accompanied by layered harmonies and rhythms, and her sound is sometimes described as a combination of Mary J. Blige and Erykah Badu's voices mixed with M.I.A.'s genre-bending sensibility.^[35] Her lyrics often express complex emotional and social issues, her performances are notable for her flamboyant costumes, and her music videos have been described as more typical of art films than standard music videos.^[36]

One comment often made of Ngaiire is that she both expands and transcends musical boundaries.^[37][38] The styles and influences she presents have coalesced into very diverse range of collaborations that include names such as John Butler, Alicia Keys, John Legend and Chet Faker. John Butler first noticed Ngaiire during her Blue King Brown days, describing her voice as "a soulful massage for (the) eardrums" and having "beautiful harmonies, great songs, sass, sincerity and soul to spare".^[39] John hand-picked Ngaiire to precede his set at the 2009 East Coast Blues and Roots Festival^[39] and then went on to support her professional development through management training^[40] and funding (the JB Seed Fund).^[41] Ngaiire then went on to support Ruthie Foster's Australian tour in 2009, Alicia Keys, John Legend and Cody Chesnutt in 2013, Chet Faker in 2015 and Sufjan Stevens in 2016.^{[42][43][44][45][46]} Additional collaborations and musical styles include:

• Experimental jazz performances with the Australian Art Orchestra,^[47] including "Struttin' with Some Barbecue", an avant-garde homage to Louis Armstrong^[48] and gypsy fusion/cabaret with Monsieur Camembert, with remakes of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" and "Light as a Breeze"^[49]
• Hip hop/reggae on the single "One for One", performed with The Strides^[50] and R&B for Bluejuice's version of the Boyz II Men song "End of the Road"
• Contemporary synthpop ("Broken Wings") with producer Nick Wales for the film Around the Block and Melanesian reggae on the freedom song "West Papua", sung in Tok Pisin with Sir George Telek.
• Roots/World music with the Barefoot Divas^[51] remake of "Never Forget I" (sung in both English and Tok Pisin), and electro pop with Kilter's remake of "Ice Cream".
• Meditative/Experimental soundscape - as a guest session vocalist on composer Chris Townend's multichannel music/art installation for the Red Queen exhibition at the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania,^[8] and World Music for the Marrugeku Dance Theatre production Cut the Sky
• Latin/Samba with Marcello Maio on "Samba Mundi"^[52] and rap/hip hop with The Tongue/Thundamentals track "Just You Wait".
• House/electro soul with Lancelot's version of "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On but the Rent" as well as writing and performing the theme song "Breathing Underwater" for the movie Mr. Pip^[53]

Recognition

• Ngaiire swept the inaugural Australian National Live Music Awards, winning State and National Live voice of the year as well as National R&B/Soul Live act of the year.^[6][54]
• Blastoma debuted in the ARIA top 50 album charts, and peaked at #7 in the ARIA urban charts.^[55][56]
• "Diggin'" debuted at #16 on the Carlton Dry Independent Music Charts.^[57]
• Monster Children magazine's 50th anniversary issue lists Ngaiire as "one of the greatest living people on earth".^[7]
• Ngaiire won in the Popular Contemporary category of the APRA 2015 Professional Development Awards^[58]
• Ngaiire won Best R&B or Soul Live Act as well as NSW Voice of the Year at the 2nd Annual AU Live Music Awards (2015).^[5][59]
• "Once" ranked 73rd in Triple J's 2015 Hottest 100,^[60] and third in the 2015 Scene Awards for Best song of the Year.^[61]
• Lamentations was nominated for the 9th Coopers Australian Music Prize for the Most Highly Regarded Album in 2013^[62]
• Lamentations was ranked by Faster Louder as number 27 on the 2013 Critics list and number 25 on the Readers List. The single "Around" ranked in their 2013 - top 50 Countdown^[31]
• Triple J's 2015 CD release Like a Version 11 includes the tracks "End of the Road" (performed with Bluejuice) and "Ice Cream" (performed with Kilter). The album contains the best Like a Version performances of 2015.

Discography

Lamentations

Lamentations is Ngaiire's debut album, and was released in 2013 to critical acclaim. It was written in a small bar in Ekoda (Tokyo) called Bar Noah with jazz pianist and producer Aaron Cholai, and has been described as "electronic but soulful, innovative but accessible, and a timeless mating of genres".^[37][63] Lamentations was inspired by a combination of classical literature (Dido's Lament & the Book of Lamentations), fantasy and personal experience. Its major themes include hope, love and loss. It was called "poignant" and "melancholic", as well as invoking a sense of empathy and understanding. Musical styles were stripped back for the release and the album was intended as a concept album in terms of both lyrical content and soundscape, mixing elements of soul, funk, folk, jazz, gospel and electro as well as hip hop and blues with beats, synth and glitch.^{[24][63][64][65]} Lamentations was also noted as having a timeless sound.^[37]

• Release date: 12 July 2013
• Label: Self-released
• Production credits: Tim Curnick, Aaron Choulai and Chris Townend

Blastoma

Blastoma is Ngaiire's second album, and was produced by Paul Mac and Jack Grace. Blastoma was recorded over a period of two years, primarily in Paul's studio in Erskineville, Sydney and was released in June 2016. Ngaiire collaborated more widely than on previous works, as she was more used to writing alone.^[66] Depth of story and the power of Ngaiire's voice on the album are two consistent themes from reviewers. Blastoma is reported as a carefully considered, cohesive and dynamic album,^[67][68] forming a happy marriage of old soul, experimentation and futuristic vision.^[67][69]

The title Blastoma refers to the form of cancer—a reference to Ngaiire's childhood encounter with the disease, as well as a "reminder that sometimes life just explodes in your face and you just have to get out there and live it".^[70] During the making of the album, Ngaiire returned from performing at the 2014 Glastonbury Festival to the news that her partner of five years (and the producer of Lamentations) had ended their relationship, leaving her questioning her ability to complete the album.^[71]

The first single from the album, "Once", was released in July 2015 to early critical success. The accompanying music video was styled in the form of an interview and biographical dream, with a live recording also being produced in the Triple J Like a Version studio. "Once" polled 73rd on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2015^[60] and was noted for appearing on the list despite being released on an independent label by an unsigned artist. "Once" resulted in Ngaiire's first solo appearance on the list and is the first instance of a Papua New Guinean-born artist making it into the Hottest 100.^[72]

The second single, "Diggin'" was released in February 2016, and debuted at number 16 on the Carlton Dry Independent Music Charts.^[57] The music video is heavy in its use of shadows and gold with lithe, provocative dance moves. "Diggin'" is a track that speaks of "being found before you find yourself in a permanent state of no return", and was called a "triumphant celebration of life".^[73][74]

House on a Rock, the third single, was released in May 2016. It was described as being more electronic and dance-able than previous singles, and was quickly described as 'the most innovative soul music Australia has seen'.^[75] The accompanying music video was shot in Tel Aviv^[76] and gives a 'behind closed doors' look at the playing out of a failed relationship.^[77]

Early reports of the album suggested a return to Ngaiire's use of glitch and danceable, funky beats. It is reportedly an evolution on prior works, with a more mature and refined sound than on Lamentations,^[71][78] also being described as "soulful", "fierce" and "spellbinding".^[61]

On 18 June 2016, the album debuted at number 41 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, marking her first entry on the ARIA Charts.^[55] It peaked at number 7 on the ARIA Urban Albums Chart.^[56]

• Release date: 10 June 2016
• Label: Self-released
• Production credits: Paul Mac and Jack Grace

EPs

• Song for No One (August 2008, independent)
• Two Minds (March 2010, independent)

Singles

• "Luv Sa Giaman" (2005, Wind Song Records, Chin H Min)
• "Song for No One" (2008, independent, demo)
• "Filthy" (November 2011, independent)
• "Dirty Hercules" (March 2013, independent)
• "Around (May 2013, independent)
• "Once" (July 2015, independent)
• "Love Is a Battlefield" (January 2016, BBC First)
• "Diggin'" (February 2016, independent)
• "House on a Rock" (May 2016, independent)

References

External links

• Ngaiire