Your occupation, job title, artistic discipline (or very brief description of what you do):

I’m an indie/surf pop musician.

What cities/towns have you lived in (or spent more than a few months in) beginning with the place of your birth?

Tauranga born and raised! I have visited other countries but I’ll always make my way back here.

What are the earliest stories you remember hearing? The ones that told you about the world? 

I  remember my father reading me a book about a boy who ran away from his family and hid on the front of a boat to get to America.  Once he got there, he met an expanse of interesting people, from circus acts to musicians, to other travellers. He fell in love and had his first heartbreak. A lifetime in just a few full years. It made me dream of (not running away from home) but of meeting a variety of people that make this world interesting.

What’s your favourite Bay of Plenty landscape, park, building, location, suburb, or side street? Why?

The Tree of Life! A big pōhutukawa on Pitau Road in the Mount. I’ve always loved native trees and birds. This tree is extra cool because it’s so big.  My friends and I used to go and climb it. It feels like another world under its branches.

What’s an average day in your life at present?  

Right now I’ve just begun a new job working for the Building & Construction Industry Training Organisation so I’ve been spending my working hours learning. I then come home to my son who was born in September. I’m trying to balance the time required to push my music as well as making time for him.

What music was present and still memorable from your youth/adolescence?

Ever since I was a young boy I’ve loved boom bap hip-hop. It’s still the most listened to genre in my playlists. Something about the fusion of jazz samples, story telling and hard hitting beats just resonates with my soul.

For you as a creative person, who are three influential artists or thinkers? 

Tom Scott – NZ rapper, genius with lyrics and metaphors.

Bob Marley – Stood for what he believed in and fought to make the world around him better.

Lewis Howes – Podcast host for ‘School of Greatness’ (sharing inspiring perspectives).

If you went away from the Bay of Plenty for a long time and then came back, what are the first three things you would do or visit? 

My parents’ house. The Mount main beach. Omanu beach.

Looking back at your teen-age self: what one sentence describes that person?

Socially consumed and ignorant to the value of education.

If you had to eat the same meal every day, what would it be?

Fish tacos.

What are you planning for 2022 that nobody knows about yet?  

I’ve got some super fresh tunes no one’s heard yet that I hope to get recorded and released before summer.

Who are your favourite or most admired figures from history?

Bob Marley, my dad, Jesus, Peter Singer.

In one sentence, can you define art?

A medium in which you can portray a feeling beyond just words.

What is missing or lacking from your Bay of Plenty community or environment?

People in the community placing value on getting out and being a part of supporting art and artists.

Name a few films that you consider profound, moving or extraordinary? 

Forest Gump, Jojo Rabbit, Seven Pounds, Pursuit of Happiness.

What was your first real job, second, third?

Pak’n’Save, Marshalls Transmissions, owning an interior plastering business.

Where would you like to live, but have yet to?

Anywhere with great surf, a chill atmosphere and musical opportunities.

What word of advice would you offer an aspiring creative person?

Don’t be afraid to fail. Too often we fail and assume it’s because we’re not good enough, but often we’re closer to a winning formula than we think.

What is your dream of happiness? 

Happiness for me is a choice. I look at where I am and what I have to be grateful for.

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