‘The Eighth Note’ is 8 quick Questions with Wellington Musicians.
A chance for us to catch up with people & see what they’re up to, or introduce you to a new musician/band and their music.
Today’s guest is Amba Holly, Wellington’s R&B/pop princess who won Best Māori Solo Female Artist at the 2016 Waiata Māori Music Awards.
Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
E noho ana au ki te tihi o Taupiri, tiro iho ki te wai e katohia ana, Waikato horo pounamu. He piko, he taniwha!
Ko Amba Holly tōku ingoa. I come from a small place in the Waikato region called Taupiri. Moved to Wellington in 2000 so I consider here home as well.
I would say my music is a fusion of RnB and soul. I like acoustic styled music too.
What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?
I’ve been working on some new music in the studio. Bilingual music actually which has Māori and English. I’m excited to share some of that too. Yes, new music is definitely on the way 🙂
Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?
You can find my music on all digital stores, Spotify, iTunes and Google Play.
People can also follow my fan page on Facebook, where I tend to post most of my upcoming gigs.
https://www.facebook.com/ambaholly/videos/1877775789177780/
What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?
Albums growing up, that’s a good question. I remember listening to a lot of Mariah Carey – Butterfly I think was the album. Another was Hawaiki by Ruia, and Maisey Rika’s self titled album. Love that!
Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?
There are a few artists I’d like to work with, Thomas Oliver, Bella Kalolo, Te Awanui Reeder, Caleb Haapu. Lots of artists, LOL. At the moment I’ve been working pretty closely with one of Wellingtons Top Vocalists Sianne Dougherty too.
What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
I would have to say The Whare o Pōneke! They look after us really well. Love those guys down there.
In your songwriting or composing (or the band’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?
Well to be honest its usually just what comes to mind, what’s inspiring me at the time. I’ve been working on trying to be more disciplined in writing because it can get quite overwhelming. But I love when I’ve finished a song.
Where/when is your next gig?
Next gig is at the Wellington Night Market on the 19th of May on Cuba St.