$20,000 put down by mother to cover top concert venue
AUCKLAND: A mother’s love and support of her daughter means an Auckland teenager will take centre stage at one of New Zealand’s most coveted theatres.
Talented pop singer Venice Qin (18) will perform at The Civic in Auckland.
The Auckland teen’s mother, Christina Yu, had booked the theatre exclusively and had taken out radio advertisements to promote the onenightonly event.
Ms Yu had also enlisted the production talents of Ratu Gordon, who was the head sound engineer for Pink and Lady Gaga’s shows in Las Vegas.
‘‘I have big respect for my daughter because she is so driven and talented from a young age,’’ Ms Yu said.
‘‘I want her to be happy and with music, I just tell her ‘go for it’ you never know how far you will go.’’
Venice said she was grateful to be able to perform at such a prestigious venue and hoped the event would give people a taste of her music.
‘‘A career in music is my Plan A — I don’t have a Plan B,’’ she said.
‘‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life so it is about finding people who believe in me and working very hard.’’
Venice released two singles last year and has released more music on Spotify. Her single Found Myself had been streamed 250,000 times.
She said her mother was her biggest supporter and her biggest inspiration.
Ms Yu, who is the managing director of the Chinese Herald, posted one of the songs to her LinkedIn account where it grabbed the right attention.
‘‘Mum shared it on her LinkedIn account and this amazing guy spotted it and played it to Ratu Gordon who worked with Pink and Lady Gaga,’’ Venice said.
‘‘He really liked it as well and that’s how it all happened.’’
During a meeting with Ratu Gordon it was decided the former St Kentigern College pupil needed somewhere special to showcase her talents.
‘‘Ratu said Venice should do some performance and we agreed that was the only way for people to get to know her,’’ Ms Yu said.
‘‘Even though she is pop, we knew a bar would not have suited her musical style and then The Civic was suggested.’’
Ms Yu said hiring the venue cost upwards of $20,000 — which she said she ‘‘put on the mortgage’’.
She acknowledged it was a big decision to hire such a wellknown venue but she saw it as the ultimate support for Venice.
‘‘I’m a single mum but what I feel is, I love her and she has a dream. I would regret it if I didn’t support her.’’
‘‘I would not do it if I didn’t believe in her. I am working class, I am not a person in business with a lot of money to invest, I am a mum.’’
Robbie Macrae, from Auckland Live which runs The Civic, said, ‘‘The Civic is one of the most iconic atmospheric theatres in the southern hemisphere so in normal, nonCovid times, dates for concerts are scarce and opportunities like this are rare.
‘‘If there’s a silver lining [to Covid], it’s launching a bright young artist on the most magnificent stage.’’
Ms Yu said the financial cost of hiring the venue was justified by the experience and lessons in the leadup to the November 27 show.
She believed preparing for the solo event had taught her daughter as much as if she was studying at university.
‘‘Already Venice has learnt so much about building relationships, media, social media, styling, and rehearsals.
‘‘She is such a hard worker and has put everything into this. She is an inspiration to me.’’ — The New Zealand Herald