Music - The Return of Hollie Smith

Three years is a long time in anyone’s book, but for Hollie Smith’s fans it must seem like an eternity. After releasing her hugely successful full-length album Long Player in 2007, Hollie Smith’s hauntingly powerful voice remained largely unheard around the country during the years that followed. But thankfully for her ever-growing legion of fans both here and abroad, 2010 signals the return of the beloved kiwi soul star.

In stores this month, Humour and the Misfortune of Others is the album many kiwi music lovers have been waiting for, and one that the Wellington singer cites as her most personal to date. The 12-track album, recorded at Waiuku’s Revolver Studios with the help of multi-talented musician, producer and ex-Trinity Roots member Riki Gooch, is influenced heavily by her experiences over the past few years.

“I’ve had some up’s and down’s over the past year,” Smith admits,. “But I’ve managed to remain upbeat, and those experiences give me with the ammunition I need to get back to doing what I do best – writing music.”

Smith isn’t a stranger to the music business by any means. At the age of 16, when most teenagers are usually loitering down at the mall, Smith was slaving away in the studio cutting her first album, the Celtic-inspired Light From from a Distant Shore.

After joining up with Wellington-based R&B/reggae group Trinity Roots, she lent her rich, soulful voice to the band’s debut album – 2003’s Home, Land and Sea – before setting her sights on another solo release. The self-titled five-track Hollie Smith E.P. hit shelves in 2005 and had music fans the country over taking notice of the rising home-grown talent.

But it was the release of Long Player in 2007 that proved the popularity of Smith’s music, with the album going on to achieve double platinum status in New Zealand. Smith carried that success through to the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards the same year, taking home a stack of awards including “Best Female Solo Artist”.

With a much-anticipated new album out this month and a national tour lined up for April, Smith says she’s not getting ahead of herself. “I’m not getting too carried away. After everything I’ve been through, these days I prefer to just take it as it comes.”

This attitude is no doubt influenced by the collapse of her release deal with the international label Blue Note Records. The company, who had intended to release the acclaimed Long Player album internationally but have since pulled the plug due to complications involving the label’s parent company, EMI Records.

Smith confesses she has had moments when she’s questioned whether it was all worth it. “I’ve dedicated my life to music, and at times it’s has felt like the whole industry side of things has been working against me. But I’m not in it for the mansions or the luxury yachts.”

A good thing, she says, considering how tough it is just to survive as a musician in this country; she just wants to do what she loves. And her fans love her for doing just that.