arielwose

24 year old Tāmaki Makaurau artist arielwose (Ariel Kelly) is steadily carving out a place for herself within Aotearoa's alternative music scene. A graduate of the University of Auckland's music programme, she grew up surrounded by music before finding her own voice through songwriting that blends emotional honesty with an indie pop-rock sound inspired by the likes of Bic Runga, Anika Moa and Alanis Morissette.

This month, arielwose closes the chapter on her debut EP in their eyes with the release of you look pretty and a headline show at Big Fan. The project explores themes of identity, mental health and self-perception, while showcasing a willingness to experiment sonically, from the vulnerability of tracks like 7 day clinic to the heavier rock influences found on child and gullible. Ahead of the EP release, I caught up with Ariel to discuss growing up with music, finding confidence as an artist, and what comes next as she enters a new era.

Were you always into music growing up? 

Oh, yeah, absolutely. My parents both play piano, and they both sing - they're not that great at singing, but they do love to sing, so I was just around music all the time as a kid. And then I picked it up quite early. I was about five when I started piano lessons, and the rest is history. 

Do you think that your time at university changed the way you approach music? 

100%. I think it bridged the gap for me between the personal side of music, like making music for myself, to help myself emotionally; and the realm of making it a part of your career and your business. And it gave me those tools to be able to lift it to the next level, basically. 

Was there a specific moment that you remember where you decided that you wanted to actually pursue music as a career? 

It was a pretty big moment when I was about 16. I think I was struggling to find where I was gonna go in the world, as you do.

Everyone's like, "Well, what am I gonna study? Um, am I gonna take a gap year?" You know, everyone's stressing about that, and I was like, "Ah, I'm not really that good at anything, eh? What am I good at? Like, uh, singing, I guess." So I decided to go for it. Actually, when I was 16, I got diagnosed with a vocal disorder called vocal paresis, and I think in my mind, I sort of said, "Well, you know, the signs are blaring at me, 'Don't do this. You know, you've got a vocal disorder.'" But I just thought, "Look, if I don't give it a go, I'll be really disappointed and probably regret it." So I gave it a go, and here I am now.

Do you remember the first song you ever wrote? What was that about? 

Yes, I actually do. I think I was probably eight, and I wrote it about my cat, about how fat he was. Yeah, I don't think I'll ever release that one. 

Were you always confident sharing your music or was it sort of something you had to build that confidence to share your music with the world?

I'm still working on the confidence of it! It's an everyday thing for me. Looking back, I've definitely grown so much. Even in uni I was really nervous. It's an everyday learning experience for me, finding my own confidence, for sure. 

In your own words, how would you describe your genre?

I would probably say it's like an indie alt pop-rock hybrid, with a lot of, like, emotional storytelling in the lyrics, but definitely influenced by that kind of gritty early 2000s pop-rock energy. 

Who are some of the artists you are most inspired by? 

I used to listen to that New Zealand CD, Nature's Best. Like, my parents would just play that on repeat all day. So I would listen to a lot of Bic Runga, Anika Moa, those early 2000 singer-songwriters. They were, like, my first introduction to music, so I definitely take a lot of inspiration and influence from them. Also Alanis Morissette, just that strong feminine energy. I love that, and I try to kind of emulate that in my own music and artistry. 

What's your songwriting process like? 

It really depends. Usually I'll just be out in the world with my Notes app on my phone, and maybe someone might say something to me and I'll write it down, or I'll just have a thought pop in my brain and I'll write it down.

So I usually start with the lyrics, and then I'll go through my Notes app later on and try and bring it to the guitar. 

If someone was to listen to you for the first time ever, what song do you think they should start with? 

They should definitely start with child. That's everyone's fave. And I totally respect that, 'cause yeah, she's got a lot of energy, that one. 

Your songs have explored a lot of themes around identity and mental health quite openly. Were you always intending to be quite vulnerable with your music, or was that another thing you had to build up to?

Yeah, it's a real interesting one. I think the music was a part of my healing process, so it just kind of organically happened that way. I would come to my guitar and my songwriting to help process my emotions. And so when it would come to performing these songs, they just kind of bared my soul as they do.

It's definitely been very rewarding being able to share those experiences with other people and being able to relate with one another. I've had people come up to me and tell me like, "Oh, I love your song seven day clinic. Like, it just made me think about my own experiences and made me feel a little bit less alone."

So I think that's really special, and it's been really lovely. 

Do you think that your songwriting has evolved along with you? 

100%, and it's still evolving to this day. I think I would hate to listen to some of the stuff I wrote, like even just five years ago. It's horrific. This next era of mine is gonna be even better than before.

Constantly evolving and trying lots of different sounds out. I think that's what my upcoming EP is. It’s just me trying lots of different flavours and sounds, lots of different writing techniques as well, and seeing what works for me. 

The title in their eyes suggests themes around perception and identity, but what does it mean to you?

I wrote the song in their eyes when I was 16. So, that was a long time ago. Looking back at it and singing it now, I don't think that 16-year-old me would even be able to comprehend the person I am today and where I'm at now. So it definitely takes on a completely new meaning and it's really beautiful to come full circle with it, you know?

So your songs like child and gullible are quite heavier tracks than some of your other work. What inspired this sonic shift?

I do this thing where I'm not super consistent with my sound. I don't like to be tied into one kind of genre. Although they kind of all have a thematic sense of like that early 2000s vibe, I feel. Like whether it be the singer-songwriter folk stuff or the singer-songwriter rock stuff they all still come under one blend in that way. But there’s not really a thought process behind it. Yeah. Just kind of happened as it did. 

I love that you said the story behind you look pretty was inspired by overhearing a conversation on the bus. Do moments like that happen often? Getting inspiration out of nowhere? 

So you look pretty was written after overhearing a conversation on the bus where I heard one friend say to the other “you look pretty even though you were just crying.” I connected with this because it was actually something a friend had said to me earlier. So I'm definitely a people watcher. I don't know about you, but I definitely listen to conversations when I probably shouldn't. And in these moments, sometimes I can take that as inspiration. And like little bits and pieces might pop up. Someone might say something and I'll go, "Oh, that's definitely a lyric," you know? It happens probably most of the time, to be honest. 

You're headlining your EP at Big Fan. What does reaching this moment mean for you? 

It's been three years since I've done a headline show, so I'm kinda coming out of the cave. Getting up on stage again in a headline show, honestly, I'm so excited for it. It's gonna be so much fun. It means so much to me to be in the place I am now and looking back at where I was even just three years ago at that last headline show. I like to think that the past me would be proud of where I'm at now and today. I'm really looking forward to it. 

Do you find that your songs take on a new sort of meaning for you when you perform them live to an audience? 

For sure. When I perform them live to audiences people will come back to me and, and tell me their own kind of life experiences and what they took out of the song, which is also really cool that people can take it however they want and relate to it in their own way.

It's really special. Performing these songs live, it definitely creates more of an emotional intensity around the music, you know? 'Cause I feel like I'm baring my soul to people right in front of me. So it's quite daunting. It's a little bit scary, but it's good fun. 

Are there any local artists you've been checking out recently that you'd really love to collaborate with? 

I have been really loving Emily Bateman. She and I went to Auckland Uni together, and our own artistry kinda grew together. And it’s the same with Mizzy. She's from Wellington originally, but she also came up to study, and I really wanna get into the studio with those girls and see what we come up with, 'cause I reckon that shit would slap.

Looking a bit bigger, what about a dream festival or collaboration? 

Dream collaboration within Aotearoa would probably be Anika Moa. I've been wanting to get into the studio with her forever. She would be amazing. I wanna pick apart her brain and, and see how she kinda writes songs and take some notes from her. And with a dream festival, I would love to do Rhythm and Vines, I’ve never done RnV. I feel a staple for New Zealand music is getting on that RnV stage. I also really want to get more involved with some of the queer festivals and LGBTQ festivals that happen in Aotearoa as well. Maybe that's something to look forward to for next year!

So after your EP and your show, is anything else coming up that you wanna plug? 

I have some new tracks on the way. I'm currently in studio recording with Andrew Isdale, and we're creating a new kind of, a new kinda era for arielwose. I listened and y'all liked the rock sound of child, so we’re sort of expanding on that and polishing it even further. 

You can follow Ariel on Instagram @arielwose