Photo by Nolan Knight
As a young folk singer in New Zealand , you spoke about how important your first Martin guitar was for you . Can you please tell us about that ? When I began writing songs at the age of 12 , I wrote solely on the piano . Around 15 , I got sick of writing slow piano ballads and decided to teach myself the guitar . I would borrow a humble little nylon-string from my friend ’ s dad , who would tune it for me on the weekends because I didn ’ t know how to tune it myself . I fell in love with playing the guitar . Because I was entirely self-taught , I didn ’ t know the right way to do things , so I just experimented and did them my own way . I loved the song possibilities that this new instrument unlocked for me . Some time after this , I became friends with a group of amazing older girls , one of whom was a social worker , if I recall correctly , but she was also a songwriter who would sing her songs around town . She had been saving up for a guitar , a base model Martin . Well , one day , we were meeting up , and she brought her new Martin guitar . With tears in her eyes , she told me that she felt really strongly that the guitar was for me . I can ’ t tell this story myself without crying . I wrote my entire first record on that Martin 000XM and have only played Martins ever since — specifically , a Paul Simon PS2 signature edition and two Eric Clapton signature editions — and now , unbelievably , my own signature edition . I still have the 000XM hanging on my office wall .
Tell us about your journey as a singer-songwriter in both mainstream and worship music genres ? I never understood why people found it so difficult to grasp that it was possible to do both . To me , the distinction was so easy . If I was a barista and it helped and blessed the church for me to make people coffee on the weekend , then , of course , I would do that . I was a musician , and if I could help and bless and contribute to the church with music , then why wouldn ’ t I do that ? I don ’ t have a poverty mentality when it comes to creativity .
Since being signed with a major label for your secular music , your songs and worship leading have made a major impact in modern worship music all over the world . What has that been like for you personally ? Not without a bit of challenge and not without a lot of wonder ! To have even just one song that could reach anyone , let alone many songs reaching so many different types of people , is utterly humbling . I ’ m so grateful .
Why do you play Martin guitars ? What stands out about them
for you in songwriting and performing ?
" WHEN I PICK UP ONE OF MY MARTINS , I CAN FEEL THE
SONGS INSIDE THEM . IT ’ S ALMOST AS IF THE GUITAR IS PLAYING ME ."
Before I answer that , I will be the first to admit that I ’ m absolutely biased because I ’ ve had such a strong and deeply personal connection with Martin guitars for so long . But I have written and played with a ton of artists , some of whom played other guitars , and my honest experience is that I preferred my Martin guitars every time . The tone , resonance , and playability are unmatched to me . When I pick up one of my Martins , I can feel the songs inside
them . It ’ s almost as if the guitar is playing me . The instrument itself seems to help draw the melody and lyric out of me .