Ngaiire

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. 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. 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," "I always viewed songs as a form of poetry that didn't necessarily need to make sense to anyone else".

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. 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." 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. 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.

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, 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, turning down offers from American recording industry professionals in order to remain independent.

Early career

Ngaiire's second recording was a four-track single called "Luv Sa Giaman", 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.

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 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 claimed that during this period she matured as a musician and learned how to be a successful independent artist. John Butler first noticed Ngaiire during this time, and hand-picked Ngaiire to precede his set at the 2009 East Coast Blues and Roots Festival and then went on to support her professional development through management training and funding (the JB Seed Fund). 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.

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". "It's Not Me, It's You" was the start of a friendship between the pair, with Paul becoming a mentor to Ngaiire. Ngaiire and Paul continue to collaborate, with Ngaiire providing guest vocals on Paul's 2015 album Holiday From Me and with Paul co-writing and co-producing Ngaiire's second album Blastoma.

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". She has been compared to artists such as Jeff Buckley, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kimbra, and Angie Stone. 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.

Ngaiire's musical style is typified by pronounced vocals that are frequently accompanied by layered harmonies and rhythms, and her sound has been described as a combination of Mary J. Blige and Erykah Badu's voices mixed with M.I.A.'s genre-bending sensibility. 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. One comment often made of Ngaiire is that her music both expands and transcends musical boundaries. Her collaborations span a number of genres, including experimental jazz, contemporary synth and electro-pop, Melanesian string band, roots, blues and world music as well as hip hop and future bass.

Recognition

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". 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. Lamentations was also noted as having a timeless sound.

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. 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, forming a happy marriage of old soul, experimentation and futuristic vision.

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". 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.

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 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.

The second single, "Diggin'" was released in February 2016, and debuted at number 16 on the Carlton Dry Independent Music Charts. 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".

"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 also called "the most innovative soul music Australia has seen". The accompanying music video was shot in Tel Aviv and gives a "behind closed doors" look at a failed relationship.

Critics noted a return to Ngaiire's use of glitch and danceable, funky beats, and a critic for Beat Magazine said it was an evolution on prior works, with a more mature and refined sound than on Lamentations.

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

EPs

Singles