Amiria Grenell with her new album 'The Winter Light' Photo: Naomi Haussmann & Michael Gilling
Folk singer Amiria Grenell grew up in rural Canterbury where her family famously hosted the Whitecliffs music festival in their paddocks.
Following the success of her 2012 release Three Feathers (winner of Best Folk Album at the Tūī Awards), Amiria's brand new album The Winter Light is out this week.
She performs live with multi-instrumentalist Ryan Fisherman (who co-produced the album) in RNZ's Ōtautahi studio.
- Check out Amiria Grenell's upcoming NZ tour dates and details here.
New Zealand singer-songwriter Amiria Grenell wearing a t-shirt and denim jacket which belonged to her father John Grenell. Photo: @amiriagrenell
It feels "pretty amazing" to finally share The Winter Light - a body of work that's been three and a half years in the making, Amiria tells Music 101's Maggie Tweedie.
While she's excited to soon head out on a national tour, as she approaches 40 Amiria finds herself in a more "inward space" and also reflecting on the career of her late father, the much-loved country folk artist John Grenell.
"I've been thinking about Dad quite a lot recently and just wondering how on earth he did this so many times. I mean, it was a very different ballgame, way back in the day ... and he would have a whole team, I guess, working with him as well.
"As a musician, you need to be out there. I have struggled with navigating how to just roll with it and also promote and just wear the hats of all the different things within the music industry. He was the same as me. He had this extroverted performance persona and then [otherwise] we both like to be really quiet and in nature. I do see myself on him quite a lot."
On Instagram, Amiria recently modelled a newly discovered t-shirt and denim jacket worn by her father, a former Wrangler model.
"Those two pieces I only just found a few weeks ago, and a box that we found in the shed and I've washed them about three times because you know they've been just sitting in a box for a few years. They're great and I love them."
Amiria played:
'When They Roam'
"Looking back on my life, there's so many interesting paths I've chosen and taken. I was just thinking of me growing up and then my daughter growing up.
"I'm also reflecting it back to my daughter [Sienna] to be safe when she roams. She's 16 now so she's flying the nest already."
'Mother Daughter'
Alongside Holly Arrowsmith, Sienna sings backup vocals on the album version of this track, Amiria says.
"She's just been really a rock throughout her whole life, really. She's a smiling, generous, loving, happy kid who's also really cheeky. She loves music. That's a huge part of her life. She can play the guitar beautifully - she gets up with me very occasionally - vut her thing is hip-hop dancing. She's a dancer and she teaches as well."
Music videos from The Winter Light:
