Incoming! Canadian singer-songwriter and pop icon in the making, renforshort is set to touch down in Aotearoa next Saturday! We caught up with her to find out about her brand new debut album ‘dear amelia’, and what we can expect to see at first ever NZ show.
Interview by Oli Spencer
renforshort is playing in Auckland on July 30th!
I’d love to know what your first musical memory was?
I remember I started piano lessons when I was really young, like two years old before I could speak. I can just remember my first piano teacher because she was really cool – she had a tongue piercing and she always chewed bubble gum so I remember how she smelled. I was like a baby and I was like what is that on your tongue! But my first actual musical memory, it would probably be waking up in the morning and my dad would have his vinyl playing, listening to Bob Dylan, and Billy Joel and stuff. It was a nice way to start the mornings in the weekend.
I loved the cover you did of ‘Complicated’ - what other songs have been with you your whole life and are really important to you?
I mean there’s so many, ‘Common People’ by Pulp is one of them, ‘Our House’ by CSN. Probably Hannah Montana as well from when I was younger, Selena Gomez and the Scene… all of it. It really did a lot for me. Rico and Jackson did like a cheese jerky thing, that song pops up into my head all the time.
And ‘Dear Amelia’ is amazing - If the album was a texture what texture would it be?
You know… you know when they put water droplets on things, but they’re the hard water droplets, it’s not real water they just make it look like water. That is what pops into my head because it's inconsistent and rough.
I really loved ‘we’ll make this okay’ the newest song, how’d that come about?
I thought it was really funny that I did a song like that with Travis Barker, like that was my favourite thing ever. We were basically in a session just making another song and I was with Jeff Hazin, who I do most of my music with - and he was like, Travis if you don’t mind we need live drums on the song, and he was like yeah sure! He killed it!
Did you listen to any Blink 182 prior?
Yes, of course.
So did that feel like a full circle moment?
Oh yeah, he’s the sweetest person ever.
What was the very first renforshort show like?
It was in October in London, it was amazing. I couldn’t sleep the whole night cause I was so high on endorphins, like it was not real. It was another layer to why this career is so amazing. It’s different to being a support act on tour, that in itself is awesome, but like doing your own show and having people sing back to you is insane. That energy fuels you, I’ve never felt more energetic and happy. It gives you a whole new love for what you do. It’s such a big part of it, but I never had it… so when I finally did I was like, hmmm I could do this forever!
What can we expect to see at your NZ show?
A lot of energy, I’m so, so excited. You get the album, and it’s just gonna be a lot of fun. I’ve been practicing a lot so there will be a lot of excitement in me. I’m also so excited to go to New Zealand, It’s my last show in Australia and New Zealand so I’ll be adjusted to the time and jet lag… so we’re gonna rock out ya know!
What’s your favourite song to perform live?
Probably ‘i drive me mad’ right now… and ‘made for you’ is a really fun one. I like the ones I can play guitar on, I feel like a bad b! Even though I’m playing like four chords, it’s still sick. They’re also very high energy and I feel very in the songs if that makes sense. I love it.
What has been the most rewarding part of making music for you?
There’s so many, but meeting fans and hearing what my music has been able to do for them, or how they relate to my music is the most rewarding because it’s genuinely why I make it. It makes me feel like I’m doing a good job. What some artists have done for me, I can kind of do for some people and that’s awesome. I heavily rely on music, what music I listen to will determine how my day goes - it’s so important in my life. If it can be for someone else, that’s sick you know.
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