A 21st Century Experience with Marianne Leigh

Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Marianne Leigh! Together we discussed toxic girl anthems, having her song heard on AirNZ flights, the “crazy girl” stereotype, her newest song “I don’t care”, and so much more!

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1. Mustard is grateful to have you join them at Music Shelf. How are you doing today?

I'm so excited to be chatting with you! This is my first ever UK magazine interview. Thank you for having me.

2. Mustard wonders what your relationship with music was growing up?

I grew up in a big family with three older siblings and my two parents. My oldest brother Tommy was a huge inspiration for me. He played the electric guitar, played in bands, wrote music, produced, and being six years older than me, he was someone I looked up to. When I first started songwriting, I didn’t have a guitar, so, being the cheeky little sister I was, I’d sneak into my brother’s room and play on his guitar for hours. Tommy was the first person I’d play every song I’d write. We used to record demos of my music together when I was 11/12 years old before I started producing on my own.

That being said, I think part of the reason I love lyricism so much is because of my parents’ love for music. I remember my dad used to drive us around, blasting music in the car, and he’d speak the lyrics of songs he loved to me and explain what songs were about. My mum loves to dance to a good beat and melody. Our favourite thing to do is dance to the kitchen singing along to ABBA, Ava Max and Camila Cabello while cooking.

3. You love a good toxic girl anthem. What are some songs we could find on your toxic girl anthem playlist?Yes! Songs like ‘Masterclass’ by Gatlin, ‘Guys My Age’ by Hey Violet and ‘I Did Something Bad’ by Taylor Swift are among my favourites. 

4. At ten years you completed your first song. Can you recall what this song was about?

Oh gosh I think it was some heart wrenching ballad about a break-up I had never experienced hahah

5. What was it like to collaborate with Jamie McDell? What advice and wisdom do you receive from Jamie?

I’ve been so lucky to work with and learn from such talented artists like Jamie McDell. It was through a television series called ‘Uke Can Do It’, who invited me to work with my favourite Kiwi artist and be mentored by them. 

I’m such a huge fan of Jamie and being given the chance to work with her at 17 was such a dream come true. Jamie told me about some of her previous experiences working in the industry and taught me how important longevity is in this line of work. On the show Jamie also worked with me on my song ‘Streetlights’ and gave me advice on my songwriting. Such a cool experience!

6. 2019 saw the release of your single “Best of Me.” What was the inspiration behind this single?

I wrote this song when I was 16 years old, two days before a nation-wide songwriting competition in my hometown, Auckland, New Zealand. I had this descending melody chord sequence that I had been playing with throughout my school day, and when I got home, I tried adding different melodies to it. I was going through my first ever breakup at the time, and I think I channeled some of that angsty teenage heartbreak into the song. It’s about knowing a situation was bad for you after the fact; a cautionary tale. 

‘Best of Me’ song ended up placing my performance in first place at the songwriting competition, which opened a lot of doors for me and landed me my first national radio interview, songwriting workshops, and connections. It was one of the first moments a music career felt achievable and real.

7. Mustard wonders if the subject of your song “little out of reach” is still out of reach?

Hahah - what a throwback! Yes, very much so - it was about that first ex-boyfriend and I’m glad that situation is out of reach. 

8. Jumping ahead a few years, you released your debut EP “Simple Things.” What was it like to put this EP together?

Creating ‘Simple Things’ was SO much fun! That record earned me my first radio playlisting, first international radio airplay, and my first headline tour! I worked with Emily Wheatcroft-Snape for the majority of the EP, and the process was; I'd write a song alone at 2am on my bedroom floor, and bring it in the next day to Emily where we'd work at her home studio. I was 16/17 years old when making this record, and working with a female producer created such a safe environment creativity-wise where I felt we could experiment with my sound and make something I was really proud of. And that's exactly what we did! 'Without Me' and 'Sweet Goodbyes' are two tracks that stepped outside of my usual acoustic singer/songwriter genre at the time, and ended up being some of my favourite tracks on the EP.

'Simple Things' reminds me of New Zealand summer, driving in the car blasting the EP's CD the day it came out, being 18 and playing my first headline show, playing with a band for the first time and recording the 'Sweet Goodbyes' music video with my friends and a camera. The 'Simple Things' record captures such a nostalgic, coming-of-age time in my life.

9. What are some simple things that you enjoy? 

Simple Things encapsulates the raw, beautiful and often extreme emotions of teenagehood. Each track untangles the complicated rollercoaster that is adolescence, with the body of work tied together by the overarching theme of love in all its forms. Writing the collection of songs helped me uncomplicate my problems, inspiring the title of the EP. Each song discusses different types of love; whether it is for yourself, a friend, or for a relationship. And love, at its core, is a simple thing.

9a. How did they play a role in the creation of this record?

I love CDs, I have so many different ones in my car, and one simple thing I love to do is read through CD booklets where you can find lyrics, messages from the artist, photos from the record, and meanings behind the songs. I took inspiration from my favourite artists' CDs and created my own with the Simple Things release. I even hid secret messages about my songs in the CD booklets, which I love letting people slowly discover and message me about!

10. Your single “without me” from the EP can be heard on AirNZ flights. Have you gone on a flight to hear your song? If traveling to New Zealand where do you recommend humans visit?

Yes! I was so excited when I got the news that "without me" got playlisted on Air New Zealand flights. It was the most surreal experience hearing my voice when the plane landed after a trip once, and I almost wanted to tell the person next to me that it was my song! I just secretly filmed it on my phone and that was that, hahah.

To answer your second question - hmm, New Zealand is such a beautiful country. I'd definitely say to visit in summer, and spend lots of time outdoors. Piha and Matarangi are some of my favourite spots close to my hometown. I also love Karangahape Road in Auckland Central for its many gig venues and late-night feed spots.

11. You tackle the “Crazy girlfriend” trope often found within entertainment. Why do you believe writers often use this trope? What would make a more well rounded character?

Yes, it's such a trope in the media and I'm siiiick of it. I think it's an easy joke to make, and can be a quick laugh without realising the deep rooted issues in the trope. A more well rounded character would humanise the 'crazy' girlfriend, showing perhaps validity for her feelings, showcasing her range of emotions and that she isn't just one stereotype.

 12. Did a specific show or movie portrayal of “Crazy girlfriend” inspire this single?

I think what inspired this single the most was my own experience of feeling jealous and insecure, and feeling shame for feeling those valid human emotions. When I looked a bit under the surface as to why I had to hide these feelings, I realised how female expression is so ridiculed in the media. I think a good example of this is Mean Girls, (though it is a movie I love), which showcases women fighting against women, teenage angst, catty behaviour and classic female stereotypes. I think women are often harshly criticized and aren't given the room to feel 'ugly' emotions like rage, jealousy, insecurity and annoyance. 

Letting myself feel what I felt in that moment, unapologetically, and channeling it into a power-house of a tune really helped break down that stigma for myself.

13. You’ve recently performed at Katzpace and Camden Club in London. What kind of set do you perform at these shows?

It's been a dream playing at such iconic locations around London. For those shows, I love to play intimate acoustic sets and strip down some of my music. I like to chat to the crowd, give the meanings behind my songs (and occasionally some gossip too), and create a conversational environment with the audience. I'll often play a recent tune, an unreleased song, a cover of a song I'm loving at the moment, and one of my older classic originals that I love to play.

12. A human gets the chance to see you perform. What four words best describe your live performance?

Ooh great question! Vulnerable, intimate, edgy, theatrical.

13. Do you have any upcoming shows?

Yes! I'm celebrating the release of the single at The Troubadour on June 28th (tickets available here: 

https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/troubadour-presents-marianne-leigh-i-troubadour-tickets/13016365?REFERRAL_ID=tmfeed). This is my debut London headline show, and my first show headlining outside of New Zealand! 

It's a huge milestone for me, so make sure you're there!

14. Mustard would like to wish you a congratulations on the release of your newest single “I Don’t Care.” Could you share more about your latest release?

Thank you so much! I wrote 'I Don't Care' solo, while living in my hometown, Auckland, New Zealand. I brought the track to my producer Ryan Cruickshank and we produced most of the song at his studio. After moving to London in January of this year, I had the opportunity to record my vocals at London's Visconti Studio, a studio built in partnership with Grammy award-winning Tony Visconti. A series of late-night Zoom calls and mixes sent  back and forth sculpted the final product, Emily Wheatcroft-Snape painting the finishing touches on 'I Don't Care' from New Zealand.

The creation of 'I Don't Care' was unlike anything I had done before. It was very much a 21st century experience. The single holds a mirror to one’s most inner thoughts, the song at its core, buried under upbeat production, being about insecurity. I write from a personal place, this song in particular being a way to untangle my thoughts surrounding self-comparison and turn them into something digestible. Writing my deeply buried fears into the unapologetically fierce pop-punk genre was really important to me.

15. Mustard has observed humans say “I Don’t Care” but deep down they really do. Was that an inspiration for this single?

Yes! Absolutely. 'I Don't Care' is all about FOMO and pretending you don't care when you really do. It's a continuation of the 'crazy girlfriend' chapter of music, going from embracing the toxic emotions to pretending you don't care about them. I wrote the song when I was feeling particularly uncool on a Friday night, at home by myself, creating a story in my head and channeling some of my FOMO emotions into it.  

16. What are some things you genuinely do you not care about?

I'm actually so bad at not caring about things! But at the moment I'm trying to not care about other people's opinions, and live life on my own terms.

17. What is next for Marianne Leigh?

I'm so excited to announce I'm going on my first UK tour this summer! Tour dates + info is yet to be announced (keep an eye on my social media for that one), but we're kicking off the tour at The Troubadour on June 28th, where my band and I are celebrating the release of 'I Don't Care' with a bad-ass all-female line-up! More information about the show is available here: https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/troubadour-presents-marianne-leigh-i-troubadour-tickets/13016365?REFERRAL_ID=tmfeed1

8. Where can readers listen to your music?

You can listen to my music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and all other streaming platforms! LINKS:Spotify: 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1iFfYdsTHCQ7D0jUS5dE5n?si=8Mh3c7esSq-VXzy37q4S-g

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/marianne-leigh/1343913240

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMkVBQYtZsx1k_yyLAczX3g

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/marianne__leigh/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marianne__leigh

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/marianneleigh354

My Website: www.marianneleigh.com