Grace Duncan: Interview + New EP 'Ruminations'

MusicInterviews

29 Mar

KATIE BROWN - 29 MAR 2021

Ruminations, the debut EP from Wellington-based songwriter and composer Grace Duncan released on the 26th of February, is a moving and soulful collection of eight tracks, fittingly written over the past eight years, that reflect a depth of Grace’s experience with joy and suffering, her desire to encourage, and to connect both to those around her and to the heartbeat of Aotearoa. As she says, it is a “collection of stories, challenges, and warm hugs of encouragement to her listeners” communicated through her intriguing vocals, gentle instrumentation and the sounds of nature woven throughout it.

Restorative and easy-listening with classical and choral influences, it takes the listener on a voyage through different worlds Grace sculpts with her beautiful, layered harmonies and soaring melodies, backed by minimal synths, various string instruments and ambient natural textures. Through this combination Grace manages to capture something of the natural and spiritual essence of Aotearoa: the soundscapes introduce a sensation of almost being able to smell the richness of the soil and the native surroundings that can still be caught on the breeze even in the hearts of our busiest cities.

It’s this particular dichotomy that makes the EP an especially thought-provoking experience: it contains threads of Grace’s journey with te ao Māori and looking into the history of Aotearoa, and what it means to be Pākehā within that landscape. With quiet sensitivity, in “Time Will Tell” she sings “I hold onto you, and you hold onto me,” a sentiment that speaks to a sense of unity born from sharing, supporting and being supported on terms of equality. Flowing on from this are touches of Grace’s faith showing through in the various songs, and a sense of this faith binding all elements together.

Altogether, Ruminations is an impressive debut offering from Grace that is refreshing and healing in tone, and one that suggests an especially rich musical journey ahead.

Read the May Magazine interview with Grace and listen to the EP below.

Find Grace on Instagram | Facebook | Soundcloud | Bandcamp

KATIE: ‘RUMINATIONS’ IS A SPECIAL BODY OF WORK. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT ITS INCEPTION: WHAT DROVE ITS DIRECTION, AND WHAT IN PARTICULAR INSPIRED IT?

Grace: ‘Ruminations’ is the first body of work I have released and includes songs written as long as 8 years ago! The title sums up the grounding of each track, each of them have a theme or idea that I hope listeners might mull over with me.

HOW DID YOUR UPBRINGING AND YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH MUSIC GROWING UP INFLUENCE THE DIRECTION OF YOUR SOUND?

I grew up with lessons in classical voice, guitar and violin and loved choral singing. I was, and still am, particularly drawn to harmonically emotive music like Eric Whitacre’s works which bathe in dissonance, or film scores because they can totally influence your mood and perception of what you’re doing in that moment.

You can hear glimpses of these influences in most pieces with the string quartet in ‘Fire Within’ and ‘Come, We Must Go’, or the vocals in ‘Inside’.

THERE IS MUCH DEPTH CONTAINED IN THE BALANCE BETWEEN YOUR VOICE, YOUR LYRICS AND YOUR VOCALS: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO TRANSLATE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING AND EXPLORING INTO SONG?

Usually what I’m feeling deeply impacts my desire to write. Often when I see people struggling, I feel a longing to share something of hope or hold their hands in some way, and using my voice is the most natural way I can express this. In some ways, a melody sung makes a message more alluring than a message that’s spoken or written because the harmony and melodies can shape how someone receives it. So, I also see it as a responsibility to be careful and intentional about what I write because I know it does have the potential to influence and shape people’s thoughts and mood.

WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS WITH YOUR SONGWRITING? DO LYRICS OR THE DESIRE TO COMMUNICATE A PARTICULAR MESSAGE DRIVE THE DIRECTION OF YOUR SONGS, OR DOES INSTRUMENTATION FORM THE STARTING POINT?

I think a lot of my writing starts with the desire to communicate something – song writing gives a unique opportunity to share a message that people wouldn’t often listen to otherwise. This plays a huge influence in what I write because I want to encourage people, to challenge people, like you do for friends in in-person conversations. This is like an extension of that conversation to those whom I might not get to talk with in person. In saying that, I almost always start with the chords and let the melodies form with the chords and then shape the lyrical phrases to fit what my heart has initially been drawn to harmonically.

HOW DOES YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH TE AO MĀORI AND BEING PĀKEHĀ IN AOTEAROA FEED INTO ‘RUMINATIONS’?

This played a huge part of the undertone of the EP. In my final year of uni, 2019, I started to engage with te ao Māori more and this was something I decided I wanted to, and needed to, engage in my work. God had been drawing me into these spaces where I had to really challenge myself to move outside of my comfort zone to start making tracts forward to see Māori lifted up alongside Pākehā. For me I decided to start making these steps by going into spaces where I wasn’t the majority and hearing the stories of a people who have been constantly ignored by those who aren’t affected by their disadvantage. This is inspiration behind ‘Come, We Must Go’. I worked with Nadia Ward who gave her translation of my lyrics to use in this song which was a huge blessing.

WHAT HAS THAT PARTICULAR JOURNEY BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?

It’s been challenging – to look your privilege in the eye and not let it turn you to a paralysis of guilt, but let it fuel your actions. But it’s been super rewarding. To get over myself and hone into the truth that as a nation, both people groups are benefitted when both are thriving. There’s still too strong a narrative within Pākehā mindsets that our two (and now many) people groups are not tied up within each other – when one is unwell, we are all unwell. So I hope that even just the small use of te reo in my music will draw listeners to consider what it means to live and prosper in Aotearoa.

THE EP IS VERY CINEMATIC – IT COULD EASILY SERVE AS THE SOUNDTRACK TO A FILM. DO YOU HAVE PARTICULAR VISUALS, SCENERY OR STORIES IN MIND AS YOU WRITE AND CREATE?

I actually didn’t have too much in mind visually when I wrote these songs other than two of them which were inspired by a sunset and a scenic walk. For most of them, the visual and audible influences feed back into each other, building the story as they go. However, often songs that are visually inspired come to me more fluidly than ones where the lyrics have to create the image first.

HOW DOES YOUR FAITH JOURNEY INFLUENCE YOUR MUSIC?

My faith is woven into most of what I write because it shapes how I see the world and what I see as important. This creates different outcomes for each song. ‘Come, We Must Go’ came to me through a journey God was taking me on, but it offers a challenge to anyone struggling with leaving their comfort zones to take risks whether that be in job applications, or larger scale in the realm of social justice.

My faith also fuels what I want to see in the world too. For example, the song ‘For Now’ touches on journeying through mental health, something which is often identity related. For me I found (and continue to find) my healing in Jesus, which is why I want to share that hope with people through song – that they might also find hope in their journeys.

WHAT DO YOU MOST HOPE YOUR LISTENERS WILL TAKE AWAY FROM ‘RUMINATIONS’?

This is a great question. I want people to be drawn to wandering, to questioning, to hope. Even if just a few people are encouraged then my heart will be full ☺

WHO ARE YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE ARTISTS, AND WHO WERE YOU LISTENING TO WHILE MAKING THE EP?

Madison Cunningham is one of my favourite artists at the moment but I’m not sure I would say she was on my radar when I was writing these pieces. I have been a Brooke Fraser fan my whole life, so her music has always been an inspiration whether intentionally or not and I got the compliment of my life the other day when a colleague of mine shared that ‘Ruminations’ reminded her of Brooke Fraser.

HOW IS 2021 LOOKING FOR YOU, AND WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST HOPES WITH YOUR WORK?

I have a release gig coming up on the 1st of May in Wellington which I am very excited for. I have not performed live very often for the last 4 years, so I’m excited to finally leave my cocoon of safety and share these thoughts and melodies in person. As you can tell, leaving my comfort zone is something I am still needing a lot of practice in haha.

Find out more about Grace’s Wellington EP release show here.

Find Grace on Instagram | Facebook | Soundcloud | Bandcamp