Sharon Corr: Keeping it real

Sharon Corr is supporting America on their New Zealand tour. Photo / Barry McCall

Sharon Corr is coming back to New Zealand — a place and people she shares a bond with.

In a world where rock star tales of private jets, extravagant backstage riders and chauffeurs are the norm, it's refreshing to know there are still artists out there like Sharon Corr. She's a salt-of-the-earth everyday people type of person. And she's not afraid to say exactly what she thinks of an industry that is focused far too much on hype over substance when she's working on new material.

"Nowadays there's a lot of stuff that's being churned out and I don't really consider it of high value, to be honest. I believe in putting a lot of time and effort and love and passion into an album; taking the time to write the best songs I can," says the Irish singer-songwriter and one-time member of The Corrs.

"The thing about music is, the more truthful it is, the more people relate to it. The less honest it is, as in it's auto-tuned into freaking space or fabricated, the less people can genuinely relate to it. They treat it like fast food - they get it and they move on and feel unsatisfied."

That said, Corr is indeed working on new songs, and says a third solo album will be her main focus when she wraps up her tour, which brings her to New Zealand next month.

She has been here countless times and raves about it. "I love it. It feels like home. I think it's that historical connection. We're the same type of people. A lot of the original settlers are Scottish, English and Irish, so we're related basically," she laughs.

"We have a lot in common. New Zealand is a farming country; Ireland's a big farming country.

We understand the land and we have that sort of affinity. We're a little less sophisticated than a lot of other cultures are and that's the nice thing about it. It's very real and down-to-earth. We're into the real stuff in life and good music is one of the real things in life."

And she considers the music of the band America, who she's supporting at Auckland's Vector Arena, one of those good things in life.

"The first ever song I sang on stage was A Horse With No Name. I was singing before then, but it was my first time on stage. My brother had a band at the time. Again, it's about being real. There's a lovely free spirit about what America do and they make you feel good. And their harmonies are outrageously gorgeous."

The Auckland show marks the end of nearly two years of touring Corr's last album, The Same Sun. It has taken her around the world several times, so she would be forgiven if - like some acts on the very last leg of a gruelling tour - she wanted those final shows over as quickly as possible.

But not so, insists Corr. "If you're going to do something, do it right, otherwise don't bother. When I'm on stage, it's a complete privilege. It's a complete privilege that an audience is sitting there waiting, wanting to hear you. There's so much love in the room and that deserves a ton of respect and it deserves you to do a bloody amazing job,"
she says.

"There aren't enough shows where the act is completely invested in what they're doing. And a lot of times they are using a ton of backing tracks. I don't go to an awful lot of gigs, because I know I'm going to be disappointed."

For fans of the upfront Corr, however, there's little chance of that. "There's only real playing and real singing with me," she says.