Ngaire Laun Joseph (born 1984, in 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 enrollment in a bachelor of Jazz Studies at the Central Queensland University (CQU).[1] In 2004, she competed in the second season of Australian Idol, where she competed as a semi-finalist but did not make it to the final 12 singers. She then worked with Blue King Brown and Paul Mac as a session vocalist before re-focusing on her solo career in 2008.
Ngaiire's debut studio album, Lamentations, was released in July 2013 and her second album, Blastoma, was released in June 2016. Her third, 3, was released in August 2021.
Ngaiire was born, as Ngaire Laun J Joseph,[4] in 1984 in Lae, Papua New Guinea, and is the eldest of three siblings. Her Grandfather was a pastor.[5] 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.[6]
While in New Zealand Ngaiire was diagnosed with ganglioneuroblastoma, which manifested as a cancer of her adrenal glands at the age of three.[7][8][9] This later influenced the music video for her 2013 single, "Dirty Hercules" and choice of title for the album "Blastoma".[10]
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.[11] She attended Sacred Heart International Primary School, Rabaul before going to Lae Christian Academy.[11] 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."[12] She explained, "I always viewed songs as a form of poetry that didn't necessarily need to make sense to anyone else."[13]
2000–2004: Career beginnings and Australian Idol
In 2000, Ngaiire moved to Lismore, New South Wales, with her mother, Miriam Murphy,[8] and stepfather where she attended Kadina High School until 2003.[14] 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.[14][15] 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[16][17] 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.[8] In 2014, Buzzfeed's Mikey Nicholson ranked Ngaiire's rendition of India Arie's "Back to the Middle" in the top 10 all time Australian Idol performances.[18]
Following Australian Idol, Ngaiire returned to her jazz studies and attempted to reduce the perceived stigma associated with appearing on the talent show.[19] She turned down offers from American recording industry professionals and remained independent by signing with Wantok Musik Foundation.[20]
Her second solo recording was a four-track single, "Luv Sa Giaman",[21] 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.[22]
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.[23]
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.[24] 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.[25]
2007–2010: Song for No One and 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.[26][27][28]
In March 2010, Ngaiire release a second EP titled Two Minds.
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?"[5] Choulai agreed and they spent two weeks working together,[30] 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."[5] For recording sessions she returned to Sydney where she used Tim Curnick on bass guitar and as another co-producer.[30]
Ngaiire released her debut studio album, Lamentations in July 2013.[5] 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.[5] Prior to finishing the album Ngaiire damaged her spine in a car accident and experienced the death of two close relatives.[30] The album received positive reviews.[31][23]
At the 9th Australian Music Prize, Lamentations was nominated the Most Highly Regarded Album in 2013[32] and was ranked at number 27 by Faster Louder on the 2013 Critics list and number 25 on the Readers List.[33]
In 2014, Ngaiire returned from performing at the Glastonbury Festival to the news that her partner of five years (and co-producer of Lamentations) had ended their relationship.[34]
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[35] 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.[36]
The second single, "Diggin'" was released in February 2016, and debuted at number 16 on the Australian Independent Music Charts.[37] 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".[38][39]
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".[40] The accompanying music video was shot in Tel Aviv[41] and gives a "behind closed doors" look at a failed relationship.[42] In June 2016, Ngaiire released her second studio album Blastoma, named after her childhood disease.[7] 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.[43]
Howl & Echoes called it "a carefully considered, cohesive and dynamic album",[44][45] while The Interns wrote that it "form[ed] a happy marriage of old soul, experimentation and futuristic vision".[44][46] and Beat Magazine described it as an evolution on prior works, with a more mature and refined sound than on Lamentations.[34][47]
In October 2019, Ngaiire released "Shiver",[49] which she co-wrote with Jack Grace, and according to the AU Review is "bout getting goosebumps for no reason in broad daylight or seeing things that your mind doesn't have the intelligence to compute."[50] It was shortlisted for the 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.[51]
On 12 March 2020, Ngaiire released "Boom", which is reported to explore the taboo nature of sex and the tension between lust and suppression.[52]
In May 2021, Ngaiire announced the release of her third studio album 3 with the aim of "extracting unique visual aspects of my culture to present in a contemporary context".[53] These preparations have included trips back to Papua New Guinea and a much stronger focus on collaborative songwriting than has occurred in previous albums. Ngaiire originally intended to tour in support of this new album starting in March 2020, but was forced to postpone the tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[54][55] The album's third single, "Closer", was released on 20 May 2021.[56]
2022–present: Live at the Sydney Opera House
In 2022, Ngaiire performed at the Sydney Opera House. The recording will be released in April 2024.[57]
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."[58][59][60] She has been compared to the artists, Jeff Buckley, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kimbra, and Angie Stone[61][33][62] and her music both expands and transcends musical boundaries.[63] 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.[64][65][66][67][68]
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.[69] 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.[30]
^"It's Not Me, It's You" did not enter the Top 100, but peaked at number 8 on the ARIA Club Tracks.[24]
Awards and nominations
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
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