WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS - SPDRTWNBBY
SPDRTWNBBY
SAMOAN
SINGER / SONGWRITER
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Meet the rising star Spdrtwnbby (spider town baby), from hearty Avondale! She's not just a singer-songwriter; but a musical wizard who channels her personal experiences into catchy originals. For her, music is the secret portal to let her personality shine through! Having recently released her debut single, 'Pixel Pixie,' we talk to the emerging artist about her work and creative process
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Tell us a bit about yourself
I am full Samoan, my Dad is from Lalomanu Aleipata and Mum is from Malie. I was born here in Tamaki Makaurau, born and raised in Avondale. I did all my schooling through Avondale and then completed my tertiary studies with University of Auckland gaining a Bachelor of Music specializing in songwriting and performance. I am the eldest child of three. My star sign is Capricorn. I currently work as a Pasifika librarian with Auckland Libraries.
I really enjoy the community engagement aspect of my job, it challenges me to create resources where we can encourage different forms of literacy and learning for our Moana community. Outside of my love for music I also really enjoy going through archives to find Pacific Heritage images particularly from the early 1800’s.
Aside from that I also love being a ka’a and going to support local artists not just in music but also in the art sector - I love going to exhibitions and anywhere I can learn around my creative interests. An interesting fact about me is that I am allergic to coconut, seu buzz.
What was your journey like into music? Did you always want to be a musician?
Always loved music. My mum still tells me stories of me being as young as 4 years old and making an instrument out of anything I could find around the house. I think my connection to music being my chosen form of a self expression tool has always been there. It gives me so much joy to create.
I only really started taking my journey seriously in 2022 after going through a couple years of mad imposter syndrome. I realized that there will always be a “ space “ for me wherever I want there to be, if an opportunity is not created I believe in myself enough to make it happen.
Even though I studied music, and finished the degree I actually felt more disheartened by that experience and I know it was partly due to my final year having to be online because of COVID-19. Fast forward to now I am really excited and content with where I am at, and am now just slowly setting goals for myself and ticking them off as I go.
What are your biggest musical inspirations?
Biggest in terms of my own songwriting would either be Emily King or Yebba - they inspire me to really write what I am feeling. In terms of rhythmic inspiration I really love 9th Wonder right now, my partner got me into listening to more artists like him. On a personal level, my Mum is one of my biggest as she always encouraged me to sing and to really believe in my talent.
What is it like as a brown woman in the music industry?
Personally, I find it to be similar to my experience as a brown woman working overall - you are often dismissed of opportunities because you’re either too loud or too quiet. I am finding there's a way to approach certain situations and code switching is just one of those things you become a pro at.
If I am being really honest, there aren’t many opportunities for brown women who make music life myself to really flourish here so I am working on creating shows and a fan base to get this happening. I have had some moments where I am thinking to myself “ this guy is le mafs” and am constantly thinking of how I can ensure my safety in spaces where I go to collaborate with other artists.
Overall I think though the opportunities are scarce, the limits to what I can do are endless because of this and so that excites me as a brown woman.
What challenges have you had to overcome in your career so far?
The imposter syndrome, so crazy to me that I really went through it. Not thinking I was enough to pursue music because I felt that my peers were way ahead of me and I had missed my time. But I’ve learnt that your time will always come back to you when you’re ready.
My talent and love for music never left me. It's such a mind game though because even now I can still have those days but then I am able to look at what I have achieved and am yet to and it motivates me to continue to believe in myself and see it through.
Tell us about your new single "Pixel Pixie"
It's a lover girl's anthem. My partner, rapper/producer ‘big al.’, asked me in 2019 ( before we got together ) if I wanted to write a verse on a beat he made called pixel beat. I agreed and I’m pretty sure I wrote it that same day. I remember clearly holding up my cheap scarlett mic that had a sock over it ( clean of course ) because I had no pop filter and I recorded it one take.
I think it was really easy for me to write the song because I was telling him how I was feeling, and I never had a diary to record myself so this was great. The lyrics speak to me being nervous to say I like him but I am going to try anyway and see where we go from there. Everything about Pixel Pixie was organic, even the title.
The beat was called pixel beat but one day we were driving - him driving, me passenger princess of course, and I just asked him if I could change it to Pixel Pixie and he said yes. The response to my song has been so wild and I am so glad listeners can relate to what I am saying - I’m hoping I can continue to make music people relate to or at least understand.
What is something you want listeners to take from your music?
I hope they find a piece of themselves in my music