'Give your mind space in a world full of noise'
Wallace gets back to walking in nature
Wallace Gollan has one of the most original sounds coming out of her native New Zealand, which she's already taken out to many corners of the world. As our first Field Recordings artist from across the ditch, we were excited to bring her on board for Field Recordings II in partnership with Apple Music. Wallace's awesome blend of jazz, soul and future boogie has seen her win awards and tour extensively with some seriously big names as she gears up for her next chapter. We send her out to check out our new NZ hideouts and asked her how she found getting back to nature helped her creatively.
Unyoked: You've lived and performed all over the world, from Wellington to London. They're varying levels of hectic. How do you typically find time to switch off? What are some of your strategies? Wallace: I'm a BIG walker. I've only just started driving again now that I've got back to Wellington, but even here I walk into town most days. Just me, my podcasts and nature. Also, side note, walking in Wellington is no joke. There are SERIOUS hills here.
Have you previously tried to get out to nature or go totally offline while writing new material? Or just generally for you? This has been my first time actually, I'm very much a city girl. It was wild up there on the hill, not hard to be inspired by such wild weather and landscapes.
What do you think other artists can learn about taking nature time to help with their creative process? No matter what genre you fall under I feel like a sense of calm is important when creating. Giving your mind space in a world filled with noise.
This is the first track you tried your hand at producing. What inspired the change? I thought this was the perfect opportunity to step outside my comfort zone. Also, a huge part of the experience in the cabin was time spent alone, so it felt natural that the music reflected that.
You came home after the pandemic, which means access to a lot more nature. Do you think NZers appreciate this enough? It was definitely jarring coming back to so much space. Going on a walk and passing just one person the whole time was truly bizarre after living in London.
It was wild up there on the hill, not hard to be inspired by such wild weather and landscapes.
There's so much goodness in your backyard beyond the touristy stuff, right? What are your favourite places to disappear to in Welly? My favourite place is definitely the central library but sadly it's currently being earthquake strengthened, so I haven't had the opportunity to spend any time there since I've been back. It's such an iconic building and so nostalgic for me.
Tell us a bit about the writing and recording of your track. We're a bit obsessed with it. Thanks so much! During my cabin stay the weather was truly terrible haha. Normally when you're going about your day and it's a blustery day in Wellington it's a nightmare but up there in the clouds looking out at the ocean across to the south island it seemed so powerful and majestic. The intensity of the wind at that altitude, paired with the rain was magical. The main hook refers to how you're never far from nature in NZ. The cabin was only a 30 min drive away from the city centre which is wild, cause it felt like another world!
What's coming up for you this year? Anything we should keep an eye/ear out for? I released my debut album in August! It's been a long time coming, I'm so excited! I have vinyl available to order here. I'm also very happy to be building my audience in NZ, got some exciting shows booked in and my new Wellington based band is sounding incredible.
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