Ngaiire

Ngaire Laun Joseph (born 1984, Lae), known by her stage name Ngaiire (pronounced ny-ree or /naɪəriː/), is a Papua New Guinea-born Australian-based R&B and future soul singer-songwriter. Her musical career commenced in 2003 with an enrolment in a bachelor of Jazz Studies at the Central Queensland University (CQU).[1] In 2004, she competed in the second season of Australian Idol before working with Blue King Brown and Paul Mac, before re-focussing on her solo career in 2008.

Ngaiire
Newtown Social Club, August 2015
Background information
Birth nameNgaire Laun J Joseph
Born1984 (1984)
Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea
OriginLismore, New South Wales, Australia
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2002–present
Labels
  • Windsong
  • Wantok
  • MGM
Associated acts
Websitengaiire.com

Ngaiire's debut studio album, Lamentations, was released in July 2013 and her second album, Blastoma, was released in June 2016.

Biography

1984-1999: Early life

Ngaiire was born, as Ngaire Laun J Joseph,[2] in 1984 in Lae, Papua New Guinea, and is the eldest of three siblings. Her Grandfather was a pastor.[3] She is bilingual: being fluent in English and Tok Pisin. Her parents moved to Palmerston North, New Zealand when she was one year old to study and the family returned to Papua New Guinea (PNG) six years later.[4]

While in New Zealand Ngaiire was diagnosed with ganglioneuroblastoma, which manifested as a cancer of her adrenal glands at the age of three.[5][6][7] This later influenced the music video for her 2013 single, "Dirty Hercules".[8]

Ngaiire and her family were living in Rabaul until the Mt Tarvurvur volcano erupted in September 1994 and covered most of the town (including their home) with volcanic ash.[9] She attended Sacred Heart International Primary School, Rabaul before going to Lae Christian Academy.[9] Her parents had divorced after returning to PNG, both subsequently remarried. She learnt that music could make her life more stable, "When I was about 11 or 12 and I was living in PNG and singing was just one of those things I did. I listened to a lot of music. Life there has loads of craziness and so many unexpected things happen. Music gave me the ability to talk about and feel all the things that were going on in my world."[10] She explained, "I always viewed songs as a form of poetry that didn't necessarily need to make sense to anyone else."[11]

2000-2004: Career beginnings & Australian Idol

In 2000, Ngaiire moved to Lismore, New South Wales, with her mother, Miriam Murphy,[6] and stepfather where she attended Kadina High School until 2003.[12] She entered the local Accelerator music competition in 2002 and recorded her first song, "I Remember", for the Accelerator 2002: The Winners album at Top Cat Recording Studios, Alstonville for Windsong Records.[12][13] In 2003, She moved to Mackay, Queensland to start her Bachelor of Jazz Studies at Central Queensland University (CQU).[1] While at university she fronted local jazz bands.[1]

In 2004, Ngaiire's entered the second season of Australian Idol. She was voted off while in the top 30[14][15] but was brought back as a "wild card" for the live shows. Ngaiire was voted off a second time in the top 13. Ngaiire with other top 12 contestants, guested on the grand final night.[6] In 2014, Buzzfeed's Mikey Nicholson rankedNgaiire's rendition of India Arie's "Back to the Middle" in the top 10 all time Australian Idol performances.[16]

Following Australian Idol, Ngaiire returned to her jazz studies and attempted to reduce the perceived stigma associated with appearing on the talent show.[17] She turned down offers from American recording industry professionals and remained independent by signing with Wantok Musik Foundation.[18]

Her second solo recording was a four-track single, "Luv Sa Giaman",[19] which translates as "Love Tells Lies". She recorded it with a Lismore-based band, the Rent, in 2005 and released it in Australia through WindSong Records label. Ngaiire and the Rent toured PNG in support of the single.[20]

2004-2006: Blue King Brown and Paul Mac

Ngaiire joined Blue King Brown as a backing vocalist in 2004 following their debut single, "Water". She toured with them for the next four years in support of the band's self-titled debut EP and first album, Stand Up in 2006. With Ngaiire they toured the United Kingdom, Japan, Europe and Canada as well as regional Australia. She explained to Miranda Freeman of Rip It Up! that during this period she matured as a musician and learned how to be a successful independent artist.[21]

Ngaiire was the featured vocalist on Paul Mac's single, "It's Not Me, It's You", released in December 2005. The song reached No. 8 on the ARIA Club Tracks chart.[22] Ngaiire was a vocalist on Paul Mac's Australian tour in support of his second studio album, Panic Room. He described her as a "diminutive bomb of goodness" to AustralianStage's Lloyd Bradford Syke.[23]

2007-2010: Song for No One & Two Minds

Ngaiire recorded her debut extended play, Song for No One, in 2007 with Sydney-based producer, Tony Buchen (aka Buchman). The EP provided the singles "Song for No One", and the 1920s-style "Glorious". "Glorious" was a popular track with Triple J and National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) supporting the creation of a music video, produced by Karla Conway.

John Butler asked Ngaiire to precede his set at the 2009 East Coast Blues and Roots Festival and supported her professional development with management training and funding via his JB Seed Fund.[24][25][26]

In March 2010, Ngaiire release a second EP titled Two Minds.

In 2010, Triple J listed Ngaiire on the 2010 Next Crop artist list and played her tracks on Triple J Unearthed.[27]

2011-2014: Lamentations
Main article: Lamentations (Ngaiire album)

In 2013, Ngaiire contacted jazz pianist and producer Aaron Choulai via email, starting with, "Hey, man, I just really love what you do. Can I come over to Japan and hang out with you a bit and write some music?"[3] Choulai agreed and they spent two weeks working together,[28] which she described to Kate Kingsmill of theMusic.com.au as, "you just had to keep cracking and keep cracking until it burst open. And once you got there it was the best feeling. Nothing could really replace the feeling of having completed a song."[3] For recording sessions she returned to Sydney where she used Tim Curnick on bass guitar and as another co-producer.[28]

Ngaiire released her debut studio album, Lamentations in July 2013.[3] The title was inspired by a combination of Henry Purcell's Dido's Lament and the Book of Lamentations, together with fantasy and personal experience.[3] Prior to finishing the album Ngaiire damaged her spine in a car accident and experienced the death of two close relatives.[28] The album received positive reviews.[29][21]

At the 9th Australian Music Prize, Lamentations was nominated the Most Highly Regarded Album in 2013[30] and was ranked at number 27 by Faster Louder on the 2013 Critics list and number 25 on the Readers List.[31]

In 2014, Ngaiire returned from performing at the Glastonbury Festival to the news that her partner of five years (and the producer of Lamentations) had ended their relationship.[32]

2015-2016: Blastoma
Main article: Blastoma (album)

In July 2015, Ngaiire released, "Once", the lead single from her second studio album. The accompanying music video was styled in the form of an interview and biographical dream, with a live recording also being produced in the Triple J Like a Version studio. "Once" polled 73rd on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2015[33] and was noted for appearing on the list despite being released on an independent label by an unsigned artist. "Once" resulted in Ngaiire's first solo appearance on the list and is the first instance of a Papua New Guinean-born artist making it into the Hottest 100.[34]

The second single, "Diggin'" was released in February 2016, and debuted at number 16 on the Australian Independent Music Charts.[35] The music video is heavy in its use of shadows and gold with lithe, provocative dance moves. "Diggin'" is a track that speaks of "being found before you find yourself in a permanent state of no return", and was called a "triumphant celebration of life".[36][37]

The album's third single "House on a Rock", was released in May 2016. It was described as being more electronic and dance-able than previous singles, and was also called "the most innovative soul music Australia has seen".[38] The accompanying music video was shot in Tel Aviv[39] and gives a "behind closed doors" look at a failed relationship.[40]In June 2016, Ngaiire released her second studio album Blastoma, named after her childhood disease.[5] The album was produced by Choulai, Mac and Jack Grace (p.k.a. Jack Britten). Ngaiire collaborated more widely than on previous works and recorded it over two years, primarily at Mac's studio in Erskineville.[41]

Howl & Echoes said it's "a carefully considered, cohesive and dynamic album"[42][43] The Interns said it "form[ed] a happy marriage of old soul, experimentation and futuristic vision".[42][44] Beat Magazine said it was an evolution on prior works, with a more mature and refined sound than on Lamentations.[32][45]

On 18 June 2016, the album debuted at number 41 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart.[46]

2017-present

Ngaiire spent three years working on material for a new album. These preparations have included trips back to Papua New Guinea and a much stronger focus on collaborative songwriting than has occurred in previous albums.

In 2018 APRA AMCOS appointed Ngaiire as an ambassador.[47][48]

In October 2019, Ngaiire released "Shiver", the lead single from her third studio album.[49] "Shiver" was shortlisted for the 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.[50]

Collaborations, styles and influences

Ngaiire's music is rooted in a resurgent Australian Neo-Soul movement, and she was listed as one of Australia's leading live R&B/Soul in 2015 by The [AU] Review, being described as "the beating heart of the contemporary live music scene in Australia."[51][52][53] She has been compared to the artists, Jeff Buckley, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kimbra, and Angie Stone[54][31][55] and her music both expands and transcends musical boundaries.[56] Her collaborations span multiple genres; including experimental jazz, contemporary synth and electro-pop, Melanesian string band, roots, blues and world music as well as hip hop, rap and future bass.[57][58][59][60][61]

Ngaiire's musical style includes pronounced vocals, which are accompanied by layered harmonies and rhythms. Her sound was described by Jordan Hirst of Music Feeds, as a combination of Mary J. Blige and Erykah Badu's voices mixed with M.I.A.'s genre-bending sensibility.[62] According to Tedi Bills of BMA Magazine, her lyrics express complex emotional and social issues, her performances are notable for her flamboyant costumes, and her music videos have been described as more typical of art films than a 'normal' music video.[28]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details Peak positions
AUS
[63]
Lamentations
  • Released: July 2013[64]
  • Label: Wantok Music (W0010)
 -
Blastoma 41

Extended plays
Title EP details
Song for No One
  • Released: August 2008[65]
  • Label: Ya Mum's House Records
Two Minds
  • Released: March 2010[66]
  • Label: Ngaiire

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
"Luv Sa Giaman"
(translation: "Love Tells Lies")		 2005 — Non-album single
"Song for No One" 2007 — Song for No One
"Glorious"[67] 2008 —
"Two Minds" 2010 — Two Minds
"Filthy"[68] 2011 — Non-album single
"Dirty Hercules"[69] 2013 — Lamentations
"Around"[70] —
"Once"[71] 2015 — Blastoma
"Broken Wings" (with Nick Wales)[72] — Around the Block
"Love Is a Battlefield"[73] 2016 — War & Peace
"Diggin'"[74] —[lower-alpha 1] Blastoma
"House on a Rock"[38] —
"Shiver"[76] 2019 — TBA
"Boom"[77] 2020 —

As featured artist

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
"It's Not Me, It's You"
(Paul Mac featuring Ngaiire)		 2005 -[lower-alpha 2] Panic Room
"Coward"[78]
(Kilter featuring Ngaiire)		 2014 — Shade
"My Boo"[79]
(Flume featuring Vince Staples, Kučka, Vera Blue and Ngaiire)		 2016 — Like a Version
"My Own Mystery"[80]
(Lanks featuring Ngaiire)		 2017 — TwentySeven

Other appearances

Title Year Album
"West Paupa"
(George Telek featuring Ngaiire)		 2010 Akave
"Oxymoron"
(The Tongue featuring Ngaiire)		 Alternative Energy
"Sick of It All" (The Tongue featuring Ngaiire)
"Mystery to Me"
(PaulMac featuring Ngaiire)		 2015 Holiday From Me
"Exit Strategy"
(PaulMac featuring Ngaiire)
"Someone Else"
(PaulMac featuring Ngaiire)
"Murawina"
(The Strides featuring Ngaiire)		 The Youth, the Rich & the Fake
"Rasta Live"
(The Strides featuring Ngaiire)
"Firearms"
(The Strides featuring Ngaiire)
"One for One"
(The Strides featuring Ngaiire)
"One Heart"
(The Strides featuring Ngaiire)
"Never Going Down"
(The Tongue featuring Ngaiire)		 Hard Feelings
"Kilter" (Triple J Like a Version)
(Ice Cream featuring Ngaiire)		 Like a Version (Volume Eleven)
"Cupid's Cheese"
(Jordan Rakei featuring Ngaiire)		 2016 Cloak
"The Less I Know the Better" (Triple J Like a Version) Like a Version (Volume Twelve)
"Can't Stop"
(Danny G Felix featuring Ngaiire)		 Danny G Felix Project
"Ain't Nothing Going On But the Rent"
(Lancelot featuring Ngaiire)		 2017 J.O.B.
"True"
(Lancelot featuring Ngaiire)

Notes

  1. "Diggin'" did not enter the Top 100, but peaked at number 23 on the ARIA Urban Singles Chart.[75]
  2. "It's Not Me, It's You" did not enter the Top 100, but peaked at number 8 on the ARIA Club Tracks.[22]

Awards
  • At the 2015 Annual AU Live Music Awards, Ngaiire won Best R&B or Soul Live Act and NSW Voice of the Year.[51][81]
  • At the 2017 National Live Music Awards, Ngaiire won Best R&B/Soul Live Act of the Year.
  • At the 2018 Australian Women in Music Awards, Ngaiire won the award for Artistic Excellence.[83]

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