Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Louis Baker (Ngāpuhi, Ngāruahine) is a self-described introvert who’s performed to thousands of people around the world. He’s had India.Arie swoon, and is critically acclaimed by BBC 6 Music, Rolling Stone, and Clash Magazine. Before he sang soul, he liked fast shredding guitars. He grew up in Newtown, Wellington, and lives in Titahi Bay. He talks with Canvas about how he found his voice.
“I probably first found a voice in guitar playing. When I was 12 or 13, listening to my mum and dad’s vinyl collection, hearing records that I loved and learning how to play those songs back by ear. Records like Voodoo Child (Slight Return) by Hendrix. There was Zeppelin, The Doors, The Beatles.
“Weirdly for me, I went from being this guy who was fully into shredding guitars, into Metallica and Megadeth and Eddie Van Halen, to finding the blues and soul music. I’d get 10 CDs for $10 from Wellington Library and take them home and learn the music off that. I was in bands, playing at Rock Quest with my friends.
“Our first metal band, a four-piece, was Amnesia. Unforgettable, as my dad would always say.
“The next step was really finding the vocals.
“When I was in my seventh form, I wrote a song called Three Ladies, which was dedicated to my mum and my two sisters. Some of the things that they’d been through … I wanted them to feel like they had my support, and I think I could show that in a song.
“It was the first one I had sung and wrote lyrics for. I put that into Play It Strange [a competition founded by Mike Chunn] and I was hesitant because I wasn’t very confident, but I had a great music teacher, Katie McFarlane, and she really gave me a belief in myself.
“That song ended up coming third in New Zealand.
“I was very passionate about music and getting more into singing. My friends were listening to D’Angelo, Musiq Soulchild, Brian McKnight and Jeff Buckley.
“I got stuck into all this different music that I hadn’t really thought about before because I was focusing on the guitar. All that changed once I found the vocals.
“I would research my heroes’ influences and it all led me back to the blues and soul music. I remember spending hours learning how to bend a note like Freddie King or SRV. Teaching myself how to play that way, with that distinct phrasing. Like learning a new language.
“I’m naturally an introvert, but music and writing are a pathway to access that aspect of myself. To kind of try and overcome those innate tendencies and reframe them and turn them into something like medicine or understanding or knowledge.
“It has made me very much the other way. I’m more outgoing and more confident. Even though social anxiety is something that happens at points, you have to build up resilience and a thicker skin to put your music out in the world.
“And it’s a subjective art form. Not everyone is going to love what you do, but you have to stick true to how you feel about it.
“Growing up, I was trying to turn something that was very real and somewhat stressful and show up. Mum and dad had parted ways. My sister’s partner had taken his life – and he was my first guitar teacher and inspired me to want to play.
“As a 16, 17-year-old guy, you’ve got to try and pull yourself together and figure out something to help. And not that music is always going to save the day, because it doesn’t. But turning up and being there for your family and making sure people are okay is the most important thing. To do what you can with what you have.
“I’m interested in this conflict between performing and being a naturally shy person.
“It’s different every time you go up on stage. There are the things that you can control and things you can’t. I’ve learned to focus on my habits and put them at the forefront, regardless of how I’m feeling or what’s happened on the day. My habits have gotten better over the years. Warming up my voice and making sure I eat good kai. It feels good to make better lifestyle choices.
“Once upon a time, none of those healthy habits were a part of performing. Nowadays it’s pretty simple. There’s an element of discipline that you have to have.
“As an independent artist and business owner, I’ve had to learn to wear a lot of different hats. I’m a band leader, label owner and part of a team that includes my manager, agent, band, designer and contractors.
“Then there’s everything behind the scenes, from vinyl pressing and merch to budgets, timelines and making decisions. It’s helped me hone my skills and learn things I never thought I’d have to do, especially coming from a jazz school background where the focus was much more on the vibe of the music itself and getting your chops together on your instrument.
“Music and the arts are like the tapestry of culture and social connection. They give us a way to understand ourselves, to share stories and experiences with each other to make life more meaningful.”
Louis Baker’s album Trouble is out October 9, and his tour starts October 15. For more information, visit www.louisbaker.co.nz