‘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 Bay of Plenty Singer-song writer Leilani Taula, who recently moved to Wellington to study and has begun gigging around town. Having begun performing at a young age she won a Tauranga Search for a Star contest at 9, and followed that up with singing at a New Zealand Netball World Cup game, being a finalist in the TVNZ Good Morning Show Find a Star Competition, winning the David Feehan Trophy for Most Outstanding Vocalist at the Tauranga Jazz Festival, releasing a debut album when she was just 15, and forming a sibling duo with her brother that went on to win an award at the Parachute Festival 2014 and perform on the X-Factor. So while she is not new to music, we caught up with her to find out what direction she is heading in now.
Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
My name is Leilani and I am a local muso originally from the sunny Bay of Plenty! I have dabbled in a lot of different genres but these days I do a mixture of acoustic singer songwriter kind of music and production based pop. They might seem like an odd combination of things to work on but ultimately I think a good song should work in lots of different genres and there’s so much that can be learned from trying new things.
What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?
This summer is certainly going to be a creative one. I’m teaming up with some really awesome people to try and work on some more poppy bangers to play out and about. Follow me on my socials and I’ll keep you posted.
Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?
You can find all my music on sound cloud at Soundcloud. Otherwise follow me on my socials: Facebook & Instagram.
What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?
Brooke Fraser – What to do with daylight, Regina Spektor – What we Saw from the Cheap Seats, Kimbra – Vows.
Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?
Honestly I’m pretty new to the Wellington music scene and am excited to try and work with as many people as I can! But some people who I think are just absolute legends in their field are Drax Project. Seriously good quality music, amazing performers, all round wonderful to witness.
Another is the incredible Leo Coghini. Brilliant musician. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for him. Hopefully one day we can have a proper jam together. Lastly (and this may be cheating as I have already collabbed with them) Speaking in Tongues. These guys are wonderful. They’ve got so much going for them already and are a dream to work with.
What ’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
Honestly my happy place is busking in the tunnel at the train station. You get to see so many interesting people, the acoustics are lovely, and you can be really creative with trying out new things.
In your songwriting or composing (or the band ’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?
Songwriting is super chaotic for me. Its like a weird game of tag where I have to chase after it and get it down on paper before they disappear.
Where/when is your next gig?
You’ll have to follow me on Facebook to find that out 😉