10 Questions with Marlon Williams

Marlon Williams' new album Make Way For Love is out now. Photo / Supplied

Marlon Williams is gearing up for a global tour. We catch up with the Kiwi singer-songwriter who has just released his second solo studio album:

1 Who is Marlon Williams?

A singer from Lyttelton. Nostalgically affective for those with a bent for such things. Just another guy, man.

2 Your album Make Way For Love is out this week. What does the title mean to you, and how personal is the story behind this theme?

It seems like a positive statement but there's really nothing inherently uplifting about it. It's a warning as much as anything. It's very personal, insofar as it's my story.

3 You have a massive global tour coming up. What's the biggest difference between playing for audiences around the world and playing to a local crowd?

Most artists will tell you that playing at home is the hardest. There's just an interesting dynamic between the artist and the local audience. It has something to do with familiarity and a perceived sense of ownership — the tall poppy thing.

Marlon Williams will play a national theatre tour in May. Photo / Supplied

4 You've been touring in support of the single Vampire Again. Why wasn't it included on the new album?

It just didn't fit the mould. It was too much of a red herring.

5 Tell us a little about the long-distance phone call recording of the duet with Aldous Harding — Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore.

I had recorded my parts in northern California last February and it wasn't till a couple of months later, long distance from Cardiff, that Aldous laid her vocals down. I don't want to make too much of it — it was just quite poignant that it should happen that way.

6 The way fans listen to music is changing all the time. What do you think the industry will look like in a few years' time? Can you foresee any major changes or trends?

I have no idea. I think the rapid rate of technological growth makes future developments very hard to predict.

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

The small size of the NZ music industry is both a blessing and a curse.

It allows people working within it to effect change in a tangible way but that visibility can also be paralysing.

8 What is your favourite song to perform live and why?

That changes all the time but at the moment i'm loving playing a song written by Barry Gibb for Olivia Newton John called Carried Away. It's masterfully written.

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

Silent Passage by Bob Carpenter.

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

I don't want dead people playing my festival, the stench of putrefaction would surely impact ticket sales. It'd be an old school hip-hop festival I think. Wu-Tang, reformed NWA, things like that.

• Marlon Williams' Make Way for Love is released on Friday February 16. Williams will play a national theatre tour in May.