Interview with Bryn van Vliet & Eliza Pickard of NOVA.
KIA ORA! HOW HAS YOUR 2021 BEEN SO FAR?
Kia ora! What a question! 2021 has been interesting for sure, but also an exciting time to knuckle down and work on getting some music out there.
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SO WHO IS NOVA?
NOVA is a project that we (Eliza Pickard & Bryn van Vliet) have been embarking on for some time. We’ve both had many years of playing and writing experience behind us so we thought we would go against the grain and record some content for listeners and take second priority building up our live experience.
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HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN CREATING MUSIC FOR? BECAUSE YOU ONLY STARTED RELEASING MUSIC THIS YEAR AS NOVA (ACCORDING TO SPOTIFY).
We (Eliza Pickard & Bryn van Vliet) met in 2018 and started writing music together in 2019. We discovered that we have a complimentary way of song-writing together, where one fills in the other’s blanks, it’s really cool! We embarked on this recording project in April this year (2021) and have already been back in the studio working on some more material.
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HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC TO SOMEONE?
Our music is inspired by a range of artists from Fleetwood Mac to Kimbra. Our approach is to create music that reflects the world around us by using quirky pop elements and lyrics that are transparent enough to invoke curiosity. Many of the band come from the Wellington jazz scene so there is a few cheeky harmonic tinges in there too.
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DO YOU PRODUCE YOUR OWN MUSIC AND DO YOU FIND THE INSTRUMENTATION COMES BEFORE OR AFTER THE LYRICS?
This EP was recorded & mixed by the legendary Lee Prebble at Surgery Studios in Wellington, and mastered by also legendary Mike Gibson from Munki studios. We were very heavily involved in the production process, whilst also heeding the advice from Lee during the studio sessions. We generally create the demo for the song at home which often stems from the songwriting process. This is where we take notes on melodies, lyrics, instruments and embellishments that we wish to include in the final recording process. When we’re satisfied, we take it to the band and then into the studio. In terms of lyrics, often it changes depending on the song. Sometimes Eliza creates a great vocal hook and we would find the right chords underneath that. Other times Bryn would write a chord progression or groove and some hooks. Often it’s a very collaborative process.
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WHERE DO YOUFIND INSPIRATION OR WHAT ARE THINGS THAT MOTIVATE YOU TO WRITE?
Lately it’s had a lot to do with the external influence of things; people, the environment and massive shifts that are occuring in our world. Using music to promote interconnection between humans and the natural world is a powerful thing and we try to access those themes as much as possible. The best lyrics usually flow without conscious effort and by surrendering to the moment as some people may call it ‘flow’. Inspiration ebbs and flows; sometimes Eliza will write a vocal hook and not know what to do with it. A week later she might visit it again and we evolve it into a song; we try not to force it out too much and be authentic with our expression.
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YOU RELEASED YOUR SELF-TITLED EP! HOW HAS THE RELEASE BEEN?
It’s been super exciting! Releasing music into the world feels liberating and it’s so awesome to receive the many responses from people, to hear different interpretations, to know what songs resonate with different people and to use this time to reflect on the process leading up to the release. We’re grateful to have been added to a few playlists and are really enjoying watching the journey unfold!
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HOW DID THE COVER ART COME ABOUT?
Our amazing friend – Makayla Spiers, composed the art for this project. We sent her the singles & the full EP and she translated the sounds into her artistic interpretation. The moth matched the blends and the overall journey of the EP perfectly; new beginnings (leaving the chrysalis) and blooming into colour and curiosity. We are over the moon with the visual aspect of our project.
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WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TRACK ON THE EP?
Our favourite track is ‘Essence’ which is the first song we wrote together. We always had a vision of doing something epic with the track and we are super pleased with how the strings drive the emotive quality of the song and how the band really came together to make it something special. It is really what separates the beginning of the EP from the end.
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DO YOU HAVE MUCH PLANNED FOR THE REST OF THIS YEAR (AS MUCH AS PLANNING CAN BE A BIT HARD AT THE MOMENT) OR ARE YOU JUST GOING WITH THE FLOW?
For the rest of the year we are going back into the studio to work on some more music with the extremely talented – Anna Eddington. Working towards releasing more music in the new year. Also hoping to play our EP release show, fingers crossed!
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SOME FUN QUESTIONS:
FAVE SNACK?
CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE & PB
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OVERUSED PHRASE?
“Now that they’re gone…”
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IF YOU COULD START A RUMOUR ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
We both dated Orlando Bloom on different occasions. Why? One step closer to Peter Jackson baby!