Otago Daily Times :: Brooking no nonsense

October 31 2004

Brooke Fraser may be a diva on stage but away from the lights, she's a grounded young lady, as BEN FAHY discovers.

FEW NEW ZEALAND musicians can claim to have sold more than 60,000 copies of their debut album. Fewer still can claim to have done it before their 20th birthday. And almost none can claim to have done it with the level of charisma and authenticity attributed to Brooke Fraser.
But for the permanently chirpy - some would say permanently quirky - musically gifted and remarkably level-headed young chanteuse, deciding what to do with daylight was easy: music. More importantly, entirely honest music.

"People appreciate authenticity, and I think that's what they've been drawn to. As soon as they get an air of something being fake, or having a pretence about it, they switch off, and I guess that's the thing that has marked my journey thus far: People saying 'you're talking about stuff we understand and we can relate to it'. People know when you're talking rubbish, and I tend to try and avoid talking rubbish as much as possible."

Unlike many other current popular musicians, Fraser, the daughter of former All Black Bernie Fraser, has somehow managed to transcend the boundaries of age, finding just as much favour in the collections of teenagers as she has in those of more mature types - something that has also been clear from the make-up of the sell-out crowds during her first nationwide tour.

"[The crowds] are crazy - in the best sense of the word," she says. "Some shows it's entirely teenage girls, but then in Whangarei it was all mature couples. There's really a huge cross section, and it seems like the music has reached every different generation. It's really amazing, and it's a great privilege."
Her fan base may be rather paradoxical, but so, too, is Fraser. The maturity of her answers, the seriousness of her music, and the widespread acclaim her natural songwriting abilities have garnered hint at a woman wise beyond her 20 years.
Standing directly alongside this maturity and seriousness, however, is the playful sense of humour, youthful exuberance, and endearing umms and ahhs of the quintessential, cheeky girl next door.

As she says: "What I do is just reflect who I am, and songwriting for me is the way I express the way I feel, how I see the world, and see life. I can act mature if I need to, but I think my close friends know I'm not that normal."

Despite the success she has enjoyed - two New Zealand music awards for breakthrough artist and best solo female, one APRA award for the most-performed song in New Zealand, Better, and a triple-platinum first album - Fraser remains exceptionally humble in the face of it all. The music industry is often seen as a numbers game - units sold, tickets on hold - but it's obvious Fraser considers it more in terms of people affected.

"You can look at album sales as figures, but when you translate it into people, it kind of blows your mind. It's not just albums sold, it's the number of people and families and lives that have chosen to take this music into their situations. It's a great privilege as a songwriter."

But fame, as the cliche goes, often comes with a pricetag, and she admits the constant recognition has been difficult to acclimatise to.
"I love people. I'm a people person, but it's really hard when people feel like they want something from you all the time, like they're just talking to you because you're Brooke Fraser. I find that hard. I find that really hard."

Fraser recently shifted to Sydney, to begin promotion for the Australian launch of her album, and although the move has provided slightly more anonymity, she is quick to point out that her unwillingness to be in the limelight is not due to ingratitude, but due to a personality that simply doesn't fit the mould of your stereotypical celebrity.
"I think there's a difference between being prominent and being significant," she says. "Because of who I am, and being a Christian and valuing real stuff, the idea of celebrity goes against what I want to be. I just wish there was a way that I could reach as many people as possible with my music, but without all the hype."
At 15, Fraser became a Christian and, as she puts it, had her life turned upside down. Now, she openly attributes her success, her creative talent, and her positive outlook on life, directly to God.

"I reckon [my songwriting talent] has very little to do with me, and a lot to do with God," she says. "I don't feel right taking credit for it. Sometimes I have to, or else I'll sound like a freak. But if I sit down and try to write songs, they never happen . . . It's frustrating and wonderful at the same time"
She admits that some probably find her overt spirituality difficult to comprehend, but she is happy the positive messages she has portrayed in the mainstream have been accepted without the need for preaching.

"I'm not trying to bash people over the head with my beliefs. That makes me uncomfortable," she says. "I express the hope and faith that I have by being who I am, and being real, by saying 'this is who I am, this is how I am, and you can take it or leave it'. I've been blown away by the amount of people who have said 'yeah. I'll take it'."
And so, the young woman with the seemingly unquenchable ambition looks set to continue bubbling away. Her basket is already much fuller than most, but in the world of Brooke Fraser, there seems to be plenty of other fish to fry.

"This is what I love doing, but I don't want to do [music] forever" she says.
"I want to have a family. I want to be a cool mum. I want to keep working with World Vision. I want to write some books. There's so many things I want to do. I guess I just want to make good use of my daylight."

Brooke Fraser's first visit to Dunedin will be on Saturday night, when she plays at the Town Hall. Be warned: She'll be looking out for "hot farm-boy types in the audience."

Thanks Claire