Gin Wigmore: Performers have to be in ‘super mode’

SINGAPORE — She has had three chart-topping albums back home in New Zealand, and has made several forays into the United States and Europe. Now, New Zealand musician Gin Wigmore is setting her sights on Asia. “Right from my first album Holy Smoke, I’ve always had this great big plan to break into Asia ... but none of my previous albums managed to break through into the Asian market.

“This album, Blood To Bone, is the first time they’ve been interested,” she said in an interview with TODAY prior to her showcase at The Projector. “(Breaking into Asia) was like a pipe dream. So when we got the call to come over, I was like, ‘Yes!’”

The album features an “eclectic” musical journey, easily blending hard-hitting tracks such as New Rush with quieter moments such as the track I Will Love You. “That’s what I’ve tried to do with all my records ... to have that diversity and not get too bogged down to one particular style,” Wigmore said. “The last thing I want is to be bored with my own music and I get bored easily. If I expect others to be interested in my music then I have to be interested in it.

“The way to do that, I think, is to not do the same thing all the time. That’s what excites me, and that’s what sorts out what songs to write and record.”

In that sense, said Wigmore, it is important to translate that same emotion on stage. “But that’s what makes a gig hard and tiring. For an hour and a half, you’ve got to re-experience when those songs were written, to go through the emotion of whatever moved you to write that song in the first place. So in that space of time on stage, I could have gone through three break-ups, one death ... I’m exhausted!”

She added: “Whatever energy I’m putting out is the energy the crowd is going to have. You take on that heightened personality, like you times two, because you’re trying to get yourself across a huge room. You have to be in super mode.”

“Super mode” was what Wigmore was channelling during her showcase performance, hitting all the right notes as she took control of the stage. But for Wigmore, “super mode” isn’t just what’s needed to elevate a show. It is also what will help you overcome any unpleasant episodes that might occur while on the road, such as getting stopped on the autobahn in Germany and having your tour vehicle impounded.

“We then realise that our vehicle was overweight and the van wasn’t even registered. We were there for six hours. It was the saddest place in the world. We didn’t make our show that night,” she said. But there was a bright spot. “The surreal bit was we were all in the van when it was towed and we were all playing cards and having a drink. That was a Spinal Tap moment.”

Nevertheless, as tiring or unpredictable as touring can be, Wigmore says she has no complaints. “I get to be me for a living. I don’t need to be anyone else but me,” she said. “It’s a great reality check. I think a lot of people work in jobs that they don’t necessarily love and they have to be someone they don’t want to be.”

Gin Wigmore’s Blood To Bone is out in stores now.