Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

10 Questions with Holly Arrowsmith

Kim Gillespie
By Kim Gillespie
Editor: NZME Community Publications Network·NZME. regionals·
21 Jun, 2018 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Holly Arrowsmith's new album is A Dawn I Remember. Photo / Naomi Haussman

Holly Arrowsmith's new album is A Dawn I Remember. Photo / Naomi Haussman

Arrowtown-raised, Tui-winning singer-songwriter Holly Arrowsmith has just released her second album A Dawn I Remember. We find out what makes her tick.

1. Who is Holly Arrowsmith? Describe yourself in one sentence.

A lover of songwriting, nature and food, impatient with day-to-day tasks and some people, long-suffering with music career and other people.

2. A Dawn I Remember seems a highly personal album. Has making it been in any way a cathartic experience?

Certainly cathartic. I write to transform and process my experience, and I share my music in the hopes that other people will see their own process in it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

3. What does the name of the album refer to?

'A Dawn I Remember' is a line from a poem by Rumi. I bought a book of his works from a little bookstore in Flagstaff Arizona. I always name my albums after everything else is done, and I knew the name would jump out at me wherever I found it. I was reading this poem and it made me cry. That line encompasses the themes in this record of leaving a true 'home' and in turn leaving a time and self that can't be returned to. Like the vague memory of a beautiful dawn, a fleeting but impactful moment.

4. Tell us a little about the success of your Kickstarter campaign to fund the album.

Crowdfunding is such a great way to make music as an independent artist. Albums are very expensive things to pull off, and if there are people who want to listen to your music already, this is a chance for them to pay in advance for a new album, and be part of its creation. I have connected with amazing people all over the world through the crowdfunding process. It makes you realise that as a creative you don't have to shut yourself in a cave until you've made something perfect- You can ask for support.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

5. What is your favourite song to perform live and why?

At the moment I've been enjoying 'Farewell.' It holds a lot of meaning to me and has a little bit of darkness. I get that transported feeling when I play it.

6. What does success as a musician mean to you?

This is something I think about a lot. It can be tough after quite a few years of hard work to not see many typical markers of success. I've been learning to look at it holistically. Am I enjoying this? Am I doing what I feel passionate about? Am I giving something to others? And there's paying the bills I suppose...!

Discover more

10 Questions with The Mockers' Andrew Fagan

30 Jan 11:00 AM

10 Questions with Marlon Williams

14 Feb 11:00 AM

SoundBites: Miltones, Holly Arrowsmith, Nadia Reid, Adults

16 May 04:00 PM

10 Questions with Jamie McDell

09 Jun 06:00 PM

7. What message would you give any young person wanting to be a successful musician?

Expect five to 10 years of hard work with little return - but if you have passion and people supporting you don't let that stop you. Don't do it for accolades or money, you might not get them! Do it because it's what you love the most. Connect with other people who have gone before you - the songwriting community in NZ is really supportive. And lastly, as hard as it can be - don't let your worth rest in your performance, you'll have great shows and bad shows but knowing you are more than that when you get home at the end of the night is essential.

8. Who or what excites you most about the New Zealand music scene?

There is so much great music coming out of NZ, the world is starting to take notice! I think being a songwriter from NZ is now an advantage.

9. You can only fit one album by another artist on your device — what is it?

Right now, Dark Bird Is Home by The Tallest Man On Earth

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

10. You're curating a music festival. Who's on the bill, alive or dead?

Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, The Beatles, The War on Drugs, Courtney Barnett, Elvis, The Tallest Man On Earth, Nick Drake, Bedouine, Taking Heads, Sufjan Stevens, Snarky Puppy, Alabama Shakes, Feist....I could go on :)

• Holly Arrowsmith's album release show for A Dawn I Remember is tomorrow night, Saturday June 23, at Sherwood Queenstown as part of the Winter Festival.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'It was unreal': Orca pod amazes Tauranga jetskier near Whangamatā

08 Jul 04:03 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

08 Jul 01:04 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'It was unreal': Orca pod amazes Tauranga jetskier near Whangamatā

'It was unreal': Orca pod amazes Tauranga jetskier near Whangamatā

08 Jul 04:03 AM

The pod, including a large male, circled him and his group for about half an hour.

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM
Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

08 Jul 01:04 AM
'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

07 Jul 11:57 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP