IN BRIEF (The Espresso Bio) Brooke Fraser is a singer-songwriter-person.

She makes the kind of music that sounds like a pop marshmallow has dropped into a folk hot chocolate and become a warm, spicy chocolatey broth. She has two albums What to Do With Daylight (2003) and Albertine (2006 - NZ, 2007 - Aus, 2008 - USA) which both debuted at #1 in her home country and between them have reached 13 x platinum sales and achieved seven #1 airplay singles. 2008 sees the release of Albertine in North America and Brooke touring extensively with her band of merry men (+ one woman) from June through September. ARTIST BIO Brooke Fraser was born and raised in a not-so-hip area of a hip little city in the most beautiful country on God's green earth - Wellington, New Zealand. She studied piano from the age of seven, began writing songs at 12, played clarinet very averagely from 13, and at 15 got sick of writing slow piano ballads and playing "Baby Elephant Walk" in the school concert band, so taught herself the acoustic guitar. She still has quiet aspirations of being a drummer in a hardcore band or a forensic anthropologist, or a really great knitter, but these remain pipe dreams for now. Brooke was co-erced into playing in public during her first year in high school, when the dean of the senior year wanted an assembly item' and one of Brooke's so-called 'friends' dobbed her in. This led to a semi-humiliating but character building biweekly 'gig' at the senior assembly. Over the next few years as her songs stopped being about insects, her 'gigs' became music festivals, support shows and fundraisers for a charity that she remains committed to and passionate about today - World Vision. In 2002 at 18, Brooke signed with Sony Music (now SonyBMG) and moved to Auckland where she played regularly at the grassroots/indie/acoustic venue 'The Temple' (no longer in existence) whilst continuing to write material for her debut album. What to Do With Daylight Brooke's first album What To Do With Daylight was released in New Zealand in late 2003, debuting at #1 and achieved gold-selling status in the same week. The album eventually went 8 times platinum, selling over 120,000 copies in New Zealand alone. What to Do With Daylight remained in the top ten on the album charts for over a year, returned to the #1 spot twice and charted for a record 66 weeks. All five singles from her album reached the top 20 NZ singles chart and achieved #1 airplay status. Following the release of What To Do With Daylight, Brooke played a number of cobilled and headline tours throughout her homeland, and in 2004 toured Australia and New Zealand with American artist John Mayer and supported iconic U.K. artist David Bowie. She then relocated to Sydney, Australia prior to the release of her album there and played various residencies throughout Sydney. At the 2004 NZ Music Awards Brooke won 'Breakthrough Artist of the Year' and 'Best Female Solo Artist', and her debut single "Better" was named the Most Performed Work on NZ Radio by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Albertine

In 2005, Brooke went into central east Africa to the nation of Rwanda, eleven years on from a genocide which claimed the lives of almost one million people. During the journey that she describes as one of the greatest privileges of her life, she met and befriended a number of Rwandans who entrusted their stories to her namely a man called Joel Nsengiyumva and an orphan named Albertine. The profound impact that this trip had on Brooke inevitably coloured the songs and spirit of her sophomore album. She wrote the song 'Albertine' upon her return home and eventually it was made the title track. In June of 2006 Brooke temporarily set up base in North Hollywood, C.A. to record, but not before making a return trip to Rwanda, the place in which the roots of the new collection of songs lay. The album 'Albertine' came to life in the North American summer of 2006 with producer Marshall Altman and a new band of American musicians affiliated with an array of notable artists, both live and recorded. "Deciphering Me" was the album's first single, initially shared with MySpace fans and shortly afterward released to NZ radio, where it achieved #1 airplay status and reached #4 in the NZ singles charts. The follow-up single Shadowfeet also achieved #1 airplay status. On December 4, 2006 Albertine was released in New Zealand, debuting at #1, achieving double platinum status less than a month after its release and remaining in the top 20 for almost a year, reaching five times platinum. The album was released in Australia on March 31, 2007, charting at #3 on iTunes and #29 on the Aussie album charts. In 2007 the song 'Albertine' won New Zealand's most prestigious annual songwriting prize, the APRA Silver Scroll as Brooke continued to play sell-out theatre tours in her homeland and Australia, where she has built a strong live following. 'Albertine' the album was released on U.S. iTunes in late 2007, and in December Brooke played a brief and well-received run of U.S. shows. This year on May 27, 'Albertine' finally hit U.S. stores, and Brooke and various forms of her band will be touring North America in support of the release from June through September 2008. (See TOURS for show info) NZ MUSIC AWARDS 2004 Best Female Solo Artist 2004 Breakthrough Artist of the Year 2007 Highest Selling Album (Albertine) 2007 Airplay Record of the Year APRA AWARDS (Australian Performing Right Association) 2004 Most Played Composition in NZ (Better) 2007 Most Played Composition in NZ (Deciphering Me) 2007 - The APRA Silver Scroll (Albertine)

Discography WHAT TO DO WITH DAYLIGHT Released 29 October 2003 Highest NZ album chart placing #1 1. "Arithmetic" 2. "Saving the World" 3. "Still In Love" 4. "Lifeline" 5. "Waste Another Day" 6. "Without You" 7. "Reverie" 8. "Indelible" 9. "Better" 10. "Scarlet" 11. "Mystery" ALBERTINE Released 1 December 2006 Highest NZ album chart placing #1 1. "Shadowfeet" 2. "Deciphering Me" 3. "Love, Where is Your Fire?" 4. "Love is Waiting" 5. "Albertine" 6. "C.S. Lewis Song" 7. "Epilogue" 8. "Faithful" 9. "Seeds" 10. "Hoseas Wife" 11. "The Thief" 12. "Hymn" Deluxe edition released 10 December 2007 with the following tracks on a live bonus CD 1. "C.S. Lewis Song" 2. "Better" 3. "Seeds" 4. "The Sounds of Silence" 5. "Hymn" 6. "Love, Where is Your Fire?" 7. "Arithmetic 8. "Hoseas Wife"

Singles Arithmetic Released 16 August 2004 Highest NZ singles chart placing #8 Highest NZ radio airplay chart placing #1 Arithmetic Mystery (Live) Something in the way she moves (Live) The song was later included on the Sony BMG compilation More Nature, a collection of songs from the New Zealand Sony BMG catalogue (in particular, those who promote nature and conservation). The film clip for "Arithmetic" features Fraser in a dimly lit studio surrounded by fairy lights and with fairy lights all over her piano. As the song only features piano and a string quartet, the quartet is also visible in another part of the studio with their music stands also lit by fairy lights. For this abundance of fairy lights, "Arithmetic" was awarded the satirical award for "Most used fairy lights in a video clip" in the 2004 Studio 2 Awards. Better Lifeline Saving the World Arithmetic Without You Deciphering Me Shadowfeet Albertine

NZ Listener :: Brooke Fraser

March 2004, By Felicity Monk Brooke Fraser, 20, began writing music at 12, performing in public at 13, and at 16 she taught herself how to play the guitar. She signed to Sony Music in 2002 and that same year shifted to Auckland from her hometown of Wellington. Her album What to Do with Daylight went double platinum in the first month of release and has now sold around 40,000 copies. She opened for David Bowie's concert in Wellington last month. This year, she is focusing on promoting her music in Australia. It is Fraser's Kiwi, Scottish, Samoan, Fijian, Spanish heritage that accounts for her exotic looks. She is the daughter of ex-All Black Bernie Fraser and mother Lynda, and has two brothers. The Listener visited her at the Sony offices in Auckland. Do you come from a musical background? No. I have a great uncle who was a one-armed trumpet player, but my immediate family? Definitely not, they are not musical at all. I remember growing up and seeing all these records [at home], but one of my younger brothers had broken the record player so I never actually heard them. I remember seeing the artwork to Carole King's Tapestry, but I only heard the record for the first time last year. So I kind of grew up completely ignorant, really. But I suppose I was lucky in a way - everything that I listen to now that I love, I own it a bit more because it wasn't bred into me. When did you realise you could carry a tune? I said this to someone the other week, I said it in a joking manner, but I really wasn't kidding: "I've just always done this and no one has ever told me to shut up." I mean, I never had a revelation, I've just always enjoyed writing and playing and singing, though it was a very private thing for a long time. My mum actually only heard me sing for, like, the third time in my whole life last year. I was fine with the public, but with people who were closer it was too embarrassing.

So, you gigged a little, met your manager Matty J, he played your demo tape to a couple of people, they liked what they heard and the next thing you know you are off to Auckland to meet with record labels? I think I had about five different labels offering me deals and it was really great for me, because I was able to be in this position of not going "please sign me", because that was never my motivation for doing music. But I was able to go into these places and go, "This is me and these are my songs, this is what I am about and this is who I am and if you don't like it, don't sign me." You opened for David Bowie, but you were unfamiliar with his music? Hey, I was born in the 80s, what do you expect? I didn't expect to meet him at all, but I had finished the sound check at the stadium and I turned around and he was right there and he goes, "Hello Brooke Fraser", and I go, "Hi", he goes, "I was listening to your album ." and he started giving me feedback on it . And? He just said that I had a lovely voice. The biggest thing for me was when he said, "I think it is wonderful writing", and obviously he's like the songwriter and I'm just a baby - what do I know? And to have someone like that say that what you do isn't crap is . I often think to myself: are you sure no one has made a mistake? Are you sure you want me to be doing this? Just before I went on stage he came up and grabbed me by the arms and said, "Mad, mad, mad, three times, good luck." It must be something they do - a British thing. So I was like, "thanks". He sent some flowers to my dressing-room and a card and stuff. He was really lovely and genuine and that gave me hope that you can be in this industry a long time and not get completely screwed over as a person. You are a big fan of a lot of current New Zealand music - Goldenhorse, Eight, OP Shop - what about the international artists who have influenced you? I guess my old favourites that I go back to time and time again are Sarah McLachlan, Marvin Gaye, James Taylor - he's been such a big part of my teenage years. I always felt like a bit of a freak. I grew up in Naenae, and so everyone was listening to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and I would be listening to my James Taylor, but I knew I was cool! Then there's John Mayer . I love John Mayer, I am dangerously obsessed with him. Tell me more . When I first signed to Sony, he had a concert up here and I got to meet him. I'm really pathetic. He signed a poster to More FM Wellington and he wrote it incorrectly, he wrote, "To FM Wellington", and so they couldn't give it to More FM. So I took it and I put it on my wall and I told people that it's actually just his pet name for me and that FM stands for "Future Mayer". Of course, he is coming back here in April. My strategy - no, I haven't thought about this - is to be aloof. I'll be like, "Oh, sorry, what was your name again? David, was it? I think I've heard that song ." NZ Idol. Would you have gone there? New Zealand Idol. I. Would. Never. Enter. New. Zealand. Idol. In. A. Million. Years. I know that is a very strong statement to make, but I can say that with complete honesty. But do I think it is a good thing for music overall? No. Do I think it is a good thing for our country? Possibly. Where I grew up, there are so many talented people and, unfortunately, it's a really Polynesian thing where we just kind of go, "Oh shame", and I think we are never going to move forward if we don't begin to break out of that. I haven't actually seen any of it yet myself, but I think it is a good thing for us to start taking risks and hopefully we can react with encouragement rather than, "What do you think you are doing up there? Who do you think you are to get up there?", because we are never going to make any advances if that's the attitude that we continue to approach opportunity with. So, I think it is not a bad thing. Does the attention you now receive get a bit overwhelming at times? I am in a place now where I am realising that I kind of have to re-strategise a bit and figure out how to still give to people and be gracious to people but also set healthy boundaries, because if I am just giving and giving and giving, I am just going to be drained and be a useless empty blah. And what about the fame side of things - have you become used to being recognised now? I don't know if you ever get used to it. I was in a dairy in Waihi and the funniest thing is when this happens: this lady said to me, "Gosh, you look a lot like Brooke Fraser", and I said, "Oh, that's funny", and she goes, "You must get that a lot", and I just go, "Yeah, I do", and that was all.

Tearaway :: What to do with daylight

March 2004, By Neil Young In person BROOKE FRASER is relaxed and full of laughter - and also slightly wary, looking over the rim of her cup of tea, careful not to give too much of herself away. Not because she has anything to hide. In fact, her music, with its cool, delicate textures, has a rare honesty and emotional directness. More because she'd prefer her songs to be the centre of attention - not herself. Glancing at my dictaphone, she says, "I find it hard reconciling myself to the idea that I'm going to be going around promoting my songs - that essentially, I am the product. "It seems really strange to spend your days going, 'Like me, like my songs.' "I got into this because. it's just what I do, it's just who I am.

"I wish there was some way that heaps of people could hear my music and heaps of people could come to the shows, and I could connect with these people, but. the fame thing wasn't involved."

We take a collective sip of tea, dunk our biscuits. "Am I sounding like a wanker?" she asks. "I think I am! I don't know. I just love the part of a live show when it stops being about you. And it stops being about your songs. "And you and the audience are the same, and you're taken somewhere else."

The joys of distortion Brooke learnt piano on an old upright her parents bought when she was 7. "I've spent years of my life on that," she says. She also taught herself to play guitar "because I wanted to write more upbeat songs." Although she only has an acoustic at the moment, she's recently discovered the joys of distorted electric guitar. She pretends to strum a powerchord: "BERRRRRANG! I was like, 'I can see why boys like this!'" Distortion also played a part in her first ever recorded song. "That was when I was 14 and this metal band asked me to sing some guest vocals on a couple of tracks. "We were in the studio and I was singing some songs for them and they said why don't you put down one of your songs? So I did it on a little midi keyboard, and they ended up putting it on the album, strangely enough." As well as being a regular performer at Parachute since the age of 16, Brooke also did really, really well at Rockquest. "At that stage I didn't even know how to play guitar," she says. "It was just me and my little keyboard songs. Got up at the heats and stuff, with just this tinny little keyboard, and then I got through to the regional finals. "And then I won. And then I was just like, that's really weird." "I love the part of a live show when it stops being about you."

What are ya gonna do? Fastforward a couple of years and Brooke's just released her debut album, What To Do With Daylight. The title "really sums up the essence of a lot of the songs," she explains. "What I think the body of work really is about. "I ended up using that line in [opening track] Arithmetic - but I actually had it, and it was the name of the album, before I wrote the song." She worked with an amazingly talented array of musicians on the album, including Emmylou Harris' percussionist Brady Blade, who also produced, Ben King and Geoff Maddock from Goldenhorse, and Spearhead bassist Carl Young. Even Blindspott's Karl Viisini provides scratching on a remix version of the first single, Better. The video for Better seems to pick up at the end of Once Were Warriors, with Temuera Morrison as Jake the Mus wandering through an empty house, surveying the cost of violence. But behind the scenes, says Brooke, "he's just really funny, just a hard case and a crack up." "He walks into the room on the set on the first day and he's like, 'Ahhh, you're Brooke! I saw a photo of you and the first thing that I said to myself was, 'Look at that girl's feet!' What do you wear, girl - size 13 jandals?!'

Mystery Does she have a favourite song on the album? "At the moment, Mystery. Whenever I sing it or play it, I get the same feeling, every time. "I feel like it's kind of my battle song. "It just reminds me (this is going to sound weird), it reminds me that there's a reason that I'm here, and that I've got something to do, and that I am valuable and I have got something to offer. "Because it's often" - and her voice fades, almost lost to the hum of my dictaphone and the pink of the fluorescent lights overhead - "'cause it's often really easy to forget that."

What To Do With Daylight is out now.

Herald Sun :: True Calling

October 16 2004 Kiwi singer Brooke Fraser tells Nui Te Koha that chart success is not the highest power. As victory speeches go. It was off the rails. Brooke Fraser, basking in the glow of a New Zealand Music Awards win, thanked her mother for "a determined push". Most interpreted that as: stage mother snowballs daughter into the industry. But Fraser meant the ultimate push: childbirth. "There was a really long labour and they had to induce me early because I almost died in the womb," Fraser says later. "Then my mum got really sick and almost died." Fraser says though the awards-night acknowledgment was unplanned, and slightly unhinged, it was from the heart. "I remember looking at my mother as this speech came blurting out," Fraser says. "She had this look that said: 'Oh my God, Brooke, what are you going to say next?' I saw the fear in her eyes." From the podium, Fraser, 19 gained some perspective on a year in which she became an incredible success story. She has had five No.1 singles in New Zealand. Her album, What to Do With Daylight, is an astonishing debut, sparkling in its simplicity, maturity and wit. There will be, inevitably, comparisons to Delta Goodrem. But Fraser's attack is refreshing and organic, less calculated and stylised. "I needed the essence of who I am and what I am to be communicated and preserved in the songs," Fraser says. "I wanted to be honest and without pretence." That said, Daylight, is a precocious and assured record. "Assured?" Fraser asks. "I'm not sure. I'm a Christian and in the past few years since becoming a Christian, it has been a total process of being at peace and finding that assuredness, I suppose." "I don't find my value and worth in what other people say about me. I value the ability to create. And I believe I'm doing what I'm supposed to in life." Fraser grew up in the Hutt Valley, near Wellington. She became a multi-instrumentalist by age seven. "I kept my aspirations to myself," Fraser says. "I wasn't the person going around saying: 'So, I'm going to be this, this and this." "But there was something in me that just knew. Not in a cocky way. I didn't think I was remarkably talented or anything, but I believed God." "I believed what he called me to do." She is the daughter of Bernie Fraser, a hugely charismatic and former superstar All Black. In Wellington, Bernie Fraser is a cult figure. One end of the city's premier rugby ground, Athletic Park, is named Bernie's Corner. Fraser scored many dynamic and devastating tries there. But Fraser's glory days were before rugby turned professional. "I remember a friend in my neighbourhood found out where we were living and that Bernie Fraser was my dad," Brooke says. "And my friend's father said: 'No way! Bernie Fraser wouldn't live in a place like that!'" "That was the attitude. People think if you are a face, or have a profile, you're rich, which isn't true at all." "We were living mainly on mum's pay, a school teacher's salary. My dad drove trucks in the off-season." "But it was only my friend's parents who made a fuss about my dad. None of my friends had a clue," Fraser says growing up with a revered All Black father gave her life lessons. "Whenever dad took me to rugby games, I loved that he never made a big deal about it. He never made it out to be more than it was. He treated people with grace and respect. He was good to people." "And that really stood me in good stead because I didn't have time for rock star attitude," Fraser says. "That doesn't benefit anybody." In the fuss over Bernie, Fraser's mother was unfairly overlooked in the equation. "I feel sorry for my mum," Fraser says, "She was always Bernie Fraser's wife and now she's Brooke Fraser's mum," In September, Brooke got a truer sense of herself. She left New Zealand, where she is regularly mobbed by fans, and moved to Sydney. Her first mission is radio airplay. If that doesn't happen, Brooke will tour to build her profile. "I'm up for the challenge," she says. "I wasn't expecting things to happen quickly." Culturally, Fraser is still adjusting. "In New Zealand, I might be biased - no, I am biased, let's be fair - there seems to be more of a community feel. There is two degrees of separation." "In Australia." Fraser hesitates, sensing a risky path. "I don't want to say bad things." When she left New Zealand. Fraser tasted for the first time, a backlash. A conservative broadsheet newspaper said she had forsaken her homeland. "Exit Stage Left," a headline sneered. "The whole sentiment was that I'd used New Zealand for my purposes and now I was moving on," Fraser says. "It was awful and I was gutted. And I'm still trying to combat the fallout of that." Meanwhile Brooke Fraser is ready for the next phase. "The plan is to keep taking the music to more people and giving more people access to it," Fraser says. "I have no grand ambitions to take over the world, but I believe I've got something worth sharing." First single, Lifeline, and album, What to Do With Daylight (Sony) is out now. - Thanks Memtree for typing it out!

Cokefridge :: Pre WTDWD Tour

October 2004 How have you been? I am good, tired but good. Pleased, Happy, Joyous *Laughs* Congratulations on your success at the New Zealand music awards. How was your night? Thanks, it was so good. I remember being really apprehensive cos I was wearing a dress from Kate Sylvester and I don't usually wear dresses. But it was real nice, I felt very girly. I usually just wear jeans and cons *Laughs* You seemed to be genuinely shocked when you won the awards, did you really have no idea that you would in? I fully was. I was so nervous and I really didn't expect to be. I was just enjoying my night and seeing everyone and when they read the nominees out for my first award I remember thinking "please don't win, please don't win". Then they read out my name and I ran past Campbell Smith, hugged him and said "I don't know what to say". So I think I rambled on a bit. I got back to my seat and told Mum I didn't know what to say and she is so cute, even my Mum said "maybe be a bit more prepared next time". It was cool though with my Mum, she came up from Wellington for the night and on our way there she was real cute and excited telling me how she had never been in a limo before. Surely you were slightly confident though? I hoped, but you never know for sure and I didn't want to get all prepared for it. I thought it was great though how Scribe got up there and pulled out his little rhyme book and said I made a list in case I won. That was hilarious. And then he forgot his parents when he won his first award. Yeah, that's right. We are catching a flight to Sydney together on Monday so I will tease him a little about that. I also remember saying thank you to my Mum for pushing my out there and I think a lot of people thought that I meant into the music world but she has never done that. I actually meant giving birth to me *Laughs* I think I was even doing a little gesture with knees bent to try and get that across but I don't think I was clear enough. You are back home now for a 15 date nationwide headlining tour. Yeah I am stoked. I have only ever done support tours or multiple billing shows so this time I can really put on a full show. I am also really happy that I can go all over the country to towns I have never been too before like Palmerston North, Wanaka, Whangarei and thank all the people there. Are you taking a support band along with you? I am taking a full 6 piece band with me and we are still working on an opening band. It is hard though cos the album seems to have such a wide ranging appeal. I have nine year olds at my shows and forty year olds so we need to find a band that has that sort of appeal too. You have moved to Sydney now, how have you found adjusting to the Australian way of life? I like the weather and that's about it *Laughs*. I got there and for about the first week there was something that was really bugging me until I clicked it was their accents *Laughs*. It is funny, although we are so close to each other we look at things so much differently to them and our cultures really are quite different. It makes me miss New Zealand. What has the Australian response been like to you? Good, I think. The album isn't released over there until next month. The single "Lifeline" has been out for about a month and it seems to be doing well in the press and on TV but because there are so many radio stations over there it is a lot more work too get them to play it. I don't think it is so much that people don't like it but they haven't heard it yet. I see that you have remade the "Lifeline" video, why is that? Well it was my second single here in New Zealand so I could afford to be a little quirky cos people were kinda familiar with me. Over there it is my first single so we wanted it to be simple and straight forward, this is Brooke. It was shot all over Auckland and the Aussies seem to be loving it. Finally I remember last time we spoke we talked about your sponsored child, Pros, how is he doing? He is good. I brought him a bike but I haven't seen any photos of him with it yet *Laughs*. When I was over there his teacher said to me, "He need a bike, he need a bike" and I though gees this ladies a bit rude I just got him all these clothes and cutlery *Laughs*. Do all the other kids have bikes there? No, I don't think so, so maybe there could be a bit of bike envy going on *Laughs*. He does have either a 4 or 8 kilometre walk to school so it is good for him to have one. Thanks for taking time out to have a chat with us and we hope the tour goes well and Australia appreciates you as much as we do. Take care. Thanks.

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NZ Herald :: On a wing and a prayer

October 25 2003, By Rebecca Barry - Scans here About this time last week, Brooke Fraser was admiring the golden spires of Phnom Penh's Royal Palace and singing Eternal Flame by the Bangles at the top of her voice. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter was in Cambodia with World Vision to visit the child she sponsors, and was sightseeing when a Buddhist monk approached. "He said to me, 'You always sing and you dance. You always very happy. It makes me happy, too. I have to ask you, what are you so happy about?"' Quite a lot, in fact. Her first single, Better, has already made the number three spot on the New Zealand music charts - actor Temuera Morrison liked it so much he agreed to appear in the music video. Next week she will release her debut album, What To Do With Daylight, which her record label says will make her the next Bic Runga. Fraser won't disclose the real reason she was a box of birds that day in Cambodia, except to impart that monks are forbidden from speaking to females and "he must have really wanted to know what crazy drugs I was on". Instead, she peeks sheepishly through a curtain of long black hair and giggles to her record company minder, "I think I'll have to run this past you first". The minder blinks, bemused. Fraser shrugs. "Well you never know what I'm going to say!" Unlike her articulate and polite nature, Fraser writes in an "ungracious and random" manner. Words spill from her consciousness as she plays around with piano chords, an annoying habit, she says, because it means the best songs come of their own accord, not when she chooses. A number of songs on the album are pensive ballads, her smoky voice lingering with the depth of emotion invoked by Sarah McLachlan or Norah Jones, piano shimmering as though Tori Amos is at the keys. Occasionally she captures a funkier, earthier vibe, thanks in part to the album producer/drummer Brady Blade, keyboardist Godfrey de Grut and Spearhead bass player Carl Young. Lyrically, however, the songs are solely Fraser's creation, the tales of kissing in the rain, falling in love and suffering an estranged beau marking a recurring theme. "I've been single for three-and-a-half years so who knows where they came from?" she says. "I think I am singing about myself but I'm singing about things that I haven't experienced yet. I don't feel that when I sing the love songs they're not mine, they're just not real yet. I'm living in a fantasy world or something." Fraser can't remember when she wasn't fantasising about being a musician. She fell in love with James Taylor after hearing him on a car radio as her best friend's mother drove them across town. As a young teen, she developed a passion for Nat King Cole, Marvin Gaye, Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole and Sheryl Crow. She had taken piano lessons since she was 7 and began writing songs at 12, performing regularly at school assemblies and later forming a band with her school mates. In her last year at high school, legally under age, they competed in the Battle of the Bands. Later, a support slot with Australian band the Paul Coleman Trio changed everything. "[Paul] said, 'Brooke, you've got a great voice and you've got great songs, but you need to get rid of the band and teach yourself the guitar'." She followed his advice, hooked up with a manager and recorded a rough demo in her high school classroom, which pricked up the ears of A&R managers at five record companies. Eventually she signed to Sony Music - "possibly I'm delusional but they are like my family" - and moved from Lower Hutt to Auckland last year.

Fraser recently performed with Bic Runga, accompanied by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. If all goes to plan, she will support Goldenhorse on their summer tour. Her second single, Lifeline, has just been released to radio. De Grut, a respected session musician who spent three weeks in the recording studio with Fraser, says she will go far. "Radio loves her music. It's middle-of-the-road, not left-of-field, it's not going to intimidate or ostracise anyone. It's just nice to listen to." Fraser agrees her music could be deemed "safe" and that it's a surefire way to earn commercial success. "But if it's not affecting anyone," she says, "what's the point?" She takes solace in the fact that Better was one of the most requested songs on the radio, that several people have approached her to discuss how her music has touched them. She needs to hear those encouraging words - despite dancing through the Cambodian palace "without caring what anyone thought", selfdoubt is her biggest obstacle. "There's always a part of me going, 'Should I really be doing this?' even though every part of me is screaming out to do it. Am I really good enough? Do people really want to listen to this?" She gets plenty of affirmation from her rugby-mad family - her father is the much loved former All Black winger Bernie Fraser. "It was good for me. It meant I was doing music because I wanted to, not because of something my family had always done. It taught me to really value the opportunity to do it. Where I grew up, the neighbourhood was relatively poor and a lot of kids I went to school with wouldn't have the opportunity to do things like piano lessons or dance lessons. But my parents made sacrifices so my brothers and I could do that stuff." Having a former All Black for a father is an advantage, she says, although she hopes it won't get too much attention. "I still remember quite vividly going to matches and having people stop him in the streets. He never actually talked about it with me, but I just kind of saw how it was with him. He emailed me a few weeks ago and told me some stuff that happened that he wouldn't have told me when I was younger, like how his words were twisted in the press and how that affected his career. He has taught me a lot about what that means and what it doesn't mean, what it does do for you and what it doesn't do for you." Fraser is already playing her part - she joined World Vision's Artist Associate Programme two years ago, which is also supported by Kiwi bands Zed and Wash and aims to draw attention to the charity through their profile. Songwriting and charity work are not the only outlets for life's hardships. At 15 Fraser became a Christian, and after finishing high school became editor of the Christian magazine Soul Purpose. As it turns out, it was this intrinsic fact about herself that made her cagey about repeating her reply to the monk. "This is a very cheesy Christian thing," she relents, "but I said, 'I like Jesus and he makes me quite happy'." She blushes through that long, black hair, a contradictory picture of mature musical confidence and youthful modesty. This afternoon she has a photo shoot for the album. She is open to how she will be marketed. "Whenever we're about to have some kind of photo shoot I'll sit down and say, 'Okay guys, what's my image? How do you want to portray me? And it's really annoying because they'll be like, 'Just be yourself'. But like, what is that? It's very difficult to answer. How am I supposed to know?" * What to Do with Daylight is released on November 3.

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NZ Musician :: Fast tracking Brooke Fraser

2003 She's got a voice that could make you cry, and her debut album called 'What To Do With Daylight' could well launch her as our next female superstar. Although this 19 year old is a fresh face for the most of us, Brooke Fraser has been anticipating this moment for long enough. "I'm such a dick, I've always wanted to do this. Always. Like I can't remember a time when I haven't wanted to. And I remember when I was 14 I started hating my birthdays because I was like, 'I've got to get an album out before I'm 16'." Growing up in the Wellington suburb of Nae Nae, Brooke's first foray in music was at the tender age of two, when she figured out 'Do Re Me' on the piano. Since then she has pursued music, teaching herself the guitar, taking piano lessons at seven, writing songs at 12, and performing solo in the rockquest at 15. Surprisingly though she's never received any singing lessons, and considers her voice a gift she takes for granted. On a trip to Auckland last year, her friend and Elemeno P drummer Scotty Pearson set up a meeting with talent scout Matthew Ruys (better known as Matty J of Colour Blind fame). "I did this gig, and Matty came along and the next day I met up with him over a coffee and he just said all the things I didn't expect him to say. Like, 'Your songs are great, you're great just the way you are, I wouldn't want to change you. Give me some demos or whatever you've got and I'll start talking to people.' Basically it was within a very short space of time from that, that we had offers starting to come in," says Brooke.

Ruys was genuinely enthusiastic about her solo performance. "It's a freak talent. She went on stage with an acoustic guitar in between two pretty hard out rock bands, and I thought, it'd be a hard one for her. She started playing, and a couple of lines into her first song the crowd just went dead silent - they were transfixed by her. She just blew them away." Immediately after making the connection with Ruys as manager, Brooke found herself being chased by a host of labels, including some from overseas, and admits it was a nice position to be in. Ruys remembers the response they got from Sony when Brooke first met with them. "I sat down with Malcolm Black, and Brooke was there with her guitar, and we chatted for a while. Malcolm was kind of like 'Oh yeah, that's interesting'... two lines into the first song, I looked over and his jaw had dropped, and I thought to myself, 'That's exactly the response I felt'." Sony signed her on a multi-album option deal in late 2002, after which Brooke moved to Auckland. "We were searching for a producer for ages, because the songs are not of one particular musical genre," says Brooke. "So we had to find someone who could do what we needed, and that meant we had to look outside of NZ." Listening to some of the then unfinished Dean Chandler album, they found their match in American drummer cum producer Brady Blade. While Blade was back in Auckland to do some finishing touches on another production, the Brooke camp grabbed him for a week to record a single as a trial run. Better was initially deemed unsuitable for her first single, given its heavy lyrical content, but according to Brooke it was at Blade's insistence that they recorded it in their first session in May. "Brady came over and we thought we were doing another song but he said, 'I can't get Better out of my head, I want to do it'. It's quite a full on, heavy song and I didn't think it was radio fodder, so I can honestly say I didn't expect this." The success of Better has been runaway, becoming the most played song on NZ radio for three weeks running, and spending more than eight weeks in the Top 10 of the singles chart. Ruys says its success has surpassed all expectations and has nearly become a hindrance for the next single Lifeline, as it just won't die. "The album is quite revealing, it's quite a confessional, and we thought that song was a good reflection of that." After producing debut albums by Dean Chandler, OpShop, and now Brooke Fraser, you might get the feeling that Blade can't bear to be away from NZ. The album was recorded during a five week stint at York Street Studios, engineered and mixed by Nick Manders, and mastered by Andy Van Dette at Masterdisk in New York. "The moment I met Brady we just clicked," enthuses Brooke. "He's a wicked guy, and we had so much fun. It felt like we had a five-week party and an album came out of it at the end. You hear all sorts of things about albums and how stressful it is and how much hard work it can be, but I had so much fun, I wasn't stressed at all. I had an awesome time." The album is a mix of styles. The only parts Brooke did not write were the string arrangements, which were put together by Godfrey de Grut. Joining him and Brooke were Sean Sturm from Eye TV on guitar, Daniel Irvine on bass, and Blade on drums as well as producing. "Musically, I'm not doing anything ground-breaking but there's a lot of emotion in my songs and I really do mean it," says Brooke. "I might not execute a run or whatever perfectly, but if I mean it, then that's much better than having something that sounds contrived. I would like to be remembered for being a person of integrity and for never saying anything I don't mean. "And it's just really the right time for me to be doing this. This sounds really airy-fairy, but any earlier I wouldn't have been ready. I had to basically spend my teenage years going through crap and doing some random things and learning a lot. Any later I probably would have become bitter and twisted." Feedback, according to Ruys, has been united in its theme. "People hear her lyrics and know it's real. It's not like she's writing some fairytale story about someone else. Everything that comes through has said 'I heard your song, it blew my mind, it touched me in my heart, and I've been playing it over and over again'". Of course being a young woman coming out of her teens, there is one subject particularly close to her heart. "There's a few songs about boys that I haven't met," Brooke concedes. "I often write songs and then a few months later they'll happen, or I'll meet the person in the song. The next single Lifeline, I wrote two years ago, and at the time I didn't understand it, but the words are what I'm living now. There's a song called Scarlett on the album and I still don't know what it's about, and I don't think I'll know what it's about for quite a while." Without You is about my husband. I don't know who he is, but I'm sure I will when I meet him," she jokes. "Songwriting is something that I really want to get better at. Songwriting lasts, great songs last, and I would like eventually to write a great song." Ruys thinks she already has. "The amazing thing is that although Brooke's 19, she writes like she could be 40. I'm not afraid to admit that the first time I heard Scarlett, it hit me so hard, I had tears welling up. She just has a power to her songwriting." The album 'What To Do With Daylight' is released early November, and there will be a summer tour, currently planned from Boxing Day right through January.

"I haven't played since I went into the studio, so I'm definitely not where I think I could be or should be as a performer. But I know that will come with doing it, so I'm really looking forward to touring and getting better," Brooke admits. "I guess I feel like I'm in my element on the stage. I feel almost to a degree more myself when I am on stage, than when I'm off, and I just really enjoy it, I really love it. And I still find it amazing that people want to listen to me. So I have a lot of fun." Ruys agrees. "You're not getting anything that's manufactured in any way, or been tidied up. Brooke is Brooke. And after spending the last year and a half with her I don't think anything's going to change that." But catch her while you can, as next year is being earmarked for introducing Brooke Fraser to the rest of the world, and if Ruys has his way, it won't be long before David Letterman will be introducing her on his show. Brooke can't wait. "I'm gonna ride it out as long as I can. I love this. I love it. In terms of releasing the album I'm really scared, but I'm really excited as well."

NZ Girl :: Brooke Fraser - What to do with daylight

2003 Having a professional and exquisite sound at 19 is pretty damn impressive, but the fact that Ms. Brooke Fraser wrote every song on this 11 track album, What To Do With Daylight, sung each to mind-blowing, crystal clear precision, then played a range of its instrumentals, is just outstanding! Definitely touching on an Anika Moa feel, yet with a twist of crisp individuality, there's no doubting it, this young lady from Naenae (Wellington) is going places fast. Her ability to create well-crafted songs, as well as her talent to 'play' her voice like a true instrument, has meant normally harsh critics are spreading the word as much as everybody else, that Brooke Fraser is one to watch for in the future. The response from listeners has been incredible; its nearly impossible to find a young adult who isn't listening to Brooke's music. Why? Because the music whispers and carry's straight from the heart, balanced with a voice that will stop you in your stride. A blissful, saintly, expressional voice from an angelic persona, lyrics that use subtle yet perfectly picturing metaphors, Brooke is New Zealand's newest shining star with a go-out-and-give-it-a-go-attitude that makes everyone smile, inspiring like minded individuals to follow their dream. Standout specials: # Arithmetic # Waste Another Day # Saving The World Expect to hear these tracks played at weddings over the summer months. The girl's got a gift and listening to it has been a musical pleasure. With a little more exposure and experience, Brooke Fraser will be a worldwide household name. Keep doing us proud Brooke!! Glen MacKellaig

NZ Herald :: Brooke Fraser at the Auckland Town Hall

October 18 2004. By Scott Kara Someone give the back-up singer a tambourine. Please. No doubt she has a great voice, and is a perfect accompaniment to Brooke Fraser, but her hands are either clasped in prayer, held aloft, or at a very distracting loose end most of the time. Brooke, get your girl a tambourine, or a shaker, or ... something. But we are here to see Fraser. She is officially a superstar: she has sold more than 60,000 copies of her album What To Do With Daylight, and has a soldout Auckland Town Hall gig - something Fraser herself is clearly amazed at. The sporadic whoops and cries of her name from the audience are further proof of this success. From her tender solo cover version of People Get Ready, to the crowd-pleasing Anything (complete with a classy whiplash leg movement by Fraser in the chorus), and the anthem Lifeline, Fraser is effortless, yet passionate and gutsy on stage. It's a sign of a natural performer, but more importantly, a natural songwriter. She is a great pianist and guitar player, but the thing you notice most about her is her voice. She doesn't miss a note. It is gentle, tender and breathy but with a hint of grit and gravel to give it substance. Interludes between songs include stories about anything from pretending to be in the CIA and hooning around Auckland, to meeting the child she sponsors in Cambodia.

Fraser tells us if you sign up to sponsor a child after the show then you get a free album. But most of them already have the album - you can tell, they're hanging on her every lyric. Fraser is at her weakest when she funks it up. The final song was the most up the night got, but it lacked the power that the previous song, the beautiful Arithmetic, had. She may have to live a little longer in the big bad world before the funk comes, but in the meantime lets just sit back, relax and enjoy the sweeter, softer moments.

Arithmetic From the album 'What to do with daylight' I've been staring at the sky tonight Marvelling and passing time Wondering what to do with daylight Until I can make you mine You are the one I want, you are the one I want I've been thinking of changing my mind (It never stays the same for long) But of all the things I know for sure You're the only certain one You are the one I want, you are the one I want I've been counting up all my wrongs One sorry for each star See I'd apologise my way to you If the heavens stretched that far You are the one I want, you are the one I want I won't find what I am looking for If I only "see" by keeping score 'Cos I know now you are so much more than arithmetic 'Cos if I add, if I subtract If I give it all, try to take some back I've forgotten the freedom that comes from the fact That you are the sum So you are the one I want When the years are showing on my face And my strongest days are gone When my heart and flesh depart this place From a life that sung your song You'll still be the one I want You'll still be the one I want You'll still be the one I want You'll still be the one I want

Listening Activity 1. which instruments and voices can you hear? Male voice Female voice Choir Synthesizers Piano Violin Cello Flute 2. in which time signature is the song? 2/2 5/4 6/8 7/4 4/4

3. which of the following can you hear? (look up the words you dont know in a music dictionary) fugue