The Daily Gamecock

New Zealand singer Gin Wigmore to visit Columbia

From singing in a bathroom in her native country of New Zealand to receiving the approval of President Obama, singer-songwriter Gin Wigmore has come a long way, and on Nov. 29, visiting Columbia for the first time will be another step in her journey.

Wigmore is playing at New Brookland Tavern Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. with the soulful synth duo Lo/Hi. Tickets are $15.

Since 2008, Wigmore has steadily built herself a career in music with three studio albums and a variety of awards and accomplishments, including being featured on President Obama’s 2016 summer playlist. Wigmore said that she had no idea she was going to be on the president’s playlist, but when she woke up to calls and messages from her friends, she was excited.

“You know, you have this romantic idea of the president just like busting your tunes out in the White House and that’s actually pretty rad,” Wigmore said.

While this highlight of her musical career came from Washington, D.C., her story began in New Zealand, where she is from. Wigmore said that she started experimenting with music at a young age when she would have her friends over and sing in a small bathroom because of the great acoustics. She also brought up her father as a supportive figure in her early stages of playing music.

“My dad really noticed that this was something I was interested in, and at that stage in my life he was kind of hoping that I would jump on anything that wasn’t drugs or boys,” she said.

Wigmore had a fairly quick rise to popularity, leading to her eventual move to the states at 27, where she currently lives.

“I kept doing music in some way, shape or form and then I got offered a record deal when I was 20 years old, and then from there it kind of got serious, I guess, and I really haven’t looked back,” she said.

According to Wigmore, there is a big difference between the music scenes in New Zealand and the U.S., with the main difference being that the U.S. has a much larger industry that is more open to experimentation. While she said she always knew she wanted to end up in the U.S. because of the abundance of opportunities, she is also happy to have experience in both countries.

“I feel very fortunate, because coming from New Zealand initially, it’s this really nice, little family-style support group network in music, which it doesn’t feel like a big sea,” she said. “And then you kind of get that base in New Zealand and then I brought that foundation over to the states where I can try stuff and feel OK about it.”

The road Wigmore took to break into the American music scene wasn’t without its share of cracks and pot-holes. During an early tour in the states, she fired half of her band and had to play the rest of the tour as a three-piece band.

“I cut my teeth, really, a lot with it because I had a band that I disliked so much. It was just so bad,” Wigmore said.

She said that experience taught her how to “adapt and roll with the punches,” and keep pushing forward with a level head, especially when it comes to touring. Since then, Wigmore has continued to make new music and travel across the country.

“I think that it’s really nice for me to see direct resonance between my music ... and the kind of relationship it has with another person,” she said. “That’s what I really love about touring, and that’s what I think you get a lot of when you’re in a smaller venue, an intimate venue.”

In addition to being a musician herself, Wigmore is also married to a singer, Jason Butler of the post-hardcore band, letlive. Butler is known for his high-energy, bombastic live performances where he has done everything from ripping his shirt off to slamming himself into a metal fence, and Wigmore has a great deal of admiration for him because of it.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m biased because I’m his wife, but I feel like I haven’t seen a frontman like that in a long, long time,” she said. “He’s so free and just a lunatic.”

Wigmore has a new album set to come out in March 2017, and the first single, “Dirty Mercy,” is available now. She said that the writing for this album was very different than her previous work because she wasn’t planning on writing a new album — it just happened.

She was writing for other artists in Nashville, and as she wrote, she began to save certain songs for herself until eventually she realized she had enough for an entire record.

“So I think it was quite a surprise record for a lot of people within my management and label and team overall, and for me as well,” she said. “It felt really relaxed, and I think the music is kind of indicative of that.”

According to Wigmore, fans can expect a fresh style for her new album as she spoke about delving into funk and taking inspiration from artists like Breakbot and Lauryn Hill.

Columbia is the sixth stop on Wigmore’s “Let It Ride" tour that began in Mexico City on Nov. 19 and will end in Albany, New York, on Dec. 9. Tickets can be found at www.ginwigmore.com


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