New Zealand’s rare beauty

It’s rare but refreshing to see a musician break into the industry for the right reasons. Gin Wigmore, a 23-year-old from Auckland, New Zealand, launched her career and won the grand prize with the song “Hallelujah” in the 2004 International Songwriting Competition, beating out over 11,000 other entrants from 77 different countries.

One of the first songs she ever wrote, the hauntingly beautiful ballad was written in reaction to her father dying from cancer.

“It was awesome to have that as a starting point for my music,” Wigmore said. “This industry is pretty [messed] up. There’s a whole lot of bullshit. There’s a whole lot of people talking complete shit and promising you the world and not coming through with the goods. My music started from such an honest and pure place like your family that you can trust and love. That’s all I need to think back on to get leveled and get reality and perspective.”

Wigmore signed with Island Records after winning the contest and released the EP “Extended Play” in 2008. She signed with Universal and was paired with “The Cardinals” to record her debut album “Holy Smoke” in 2009. She turned to personal experience again on the album, writing the song “Hey Ho” after being dumped by her longtime boyfriend for not being “marriage material.”

Wigmore has been opening for “Citizen Cope” and is nearing the end of her first US tour, wrapping up on May 1. The weeks of life on the road caught up to her during her performance at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on Tuesday night.

“I totally f------ blanked on the last song, completely blanked,” Wigmore said. “You know when you’ve been doing stuff, like that last song, like 300 or 400 times but totally blank? You go into robot mode sometimes, but it’s cool.

“This tour’s been great, playing to all these crowds each night. In America, they seem really keen to see supports as well. Back in Australia and New Zealand, you wait until the headliner is on before you come to the gig, so it’s cool that everyone is here.”

Wigmore has also been pleasantly surprised by her mode of transportation for her first trip across America.

“We don’t even have buses back down in Australia or New Zealand,” Wigmore said. “We’ve got a TV, we’ve got internet that works every now and then. We have a fridge and a bar. We have bunks, a back lounge and front lounge. I did have a full band, but I let two of them go. Now I’ve just got a trio, so there’s heaps of room. Cope’s crew wants to come on our bus because we’ve got f------ heaps of space.”

She is happy to accommodate the band and lead singer Clarence Greenwood.

“Every little chat we have, he seems cool,” Wigmore said. “He’s very super mellow. You can tell from his crowds. They f------adore him. It’s cool to be in that presence. He has such a loyal fan base.”

She’s remained mellow as well, resisting the temptation to live it up too much on her first tour across the U.S.

“I’m such a loser,” Wigmore said. “After the gig, I try and get as much rest as I can because I’ve never been on such a busy tour. Plus the driving and all that shit. I’m real, ‘You must go to bed and have sleep. Don’t drink too much, Gin.’ Some of the boys have been getting the groupies and the f------ partying and the drinking and boozing and smoking, all the f------ shit going on.

“It’s getting tired now. I’m just getting tired. You’re moving through time zones. I’m starting to lose steam. I was full steam ahead two weeks ago. Now I’m kind of looking forward to this wrapping up.”

The long tour has added a little extra rasp to Wigmore’s already throaty voice, which along with her style of music has drawn comparisons to Amy Winehouse and Macy Gray.

“If I can be as successful as those two, then bring it on,” Wigmore said. “It’s kind of funny at the same time, because I don’t have either of those two chicks’ records. I think it’s the new age kind of thing. I’m new and you’re compared to the last thing you’ve heard. My record collection is really from the 20’s through 70’s. I’m a huge fan of Edith Piaf, Gladys Knight, Etta James, all those greats. As a kid I had no money really, so I just went through and followed all my parents stuff. Simon and Garfunkel, Sly and the Family Stone, Jeff Beck, all those killer records.”

Wigmore is thankful for her old-fashioned musical upbringing.

“I’m stoked to have heard that stuff, it’s real,” Wigmore said. “Back in the day, you had to cut it to be a musician, you had to be [really] good. These days you can press any button and sound like the next Christina Aguilera. It’s shit. Back in the day, if you couldn’t cut that note and sing that song from straight to finish, you weren’t having a recording. I do the full song. If there’s one line that’s bad you chop something in, you get picky. I’m over the song after four takes.”

Wigmore will head home after her show on May 1 for a brief break before heading back out on tour.

“I don’t know where the f--- I live actually,” Wigmore said. “I have been living in Sydney for the last three years. I signed out of there as well. I’ve got six days off in Sydney, then I go back on tour through all of Australia full on, then back here for another tour. Oh, man.”