McDell’s private highs and lows

Jamie McDell has achieved a lot for someone so young. She talks to

Jamie McDell was signed to EMI at 16 and her debut album Six Strings and a Sailboat went on to achieve gold album sales, and received three NZ Music Award nominations, winning Best Pop Album of 2013. Her sophomore record, Ask Me Anything, gained global attention, with two tracks featured on American TV series Pretty Little Liars. My new record Extraordinary Girl, recorded in Nashville in two days, no click track, solely written by me. To those who are familiar with my previous work, this album may or may not come as a surprise. It’s a move towards the music I admired growing up and write most naturally, it prioritises storytelling and is a nod to country and Americana. I’m also heading out on tour around New Zealand playing some of my favourite venues – and others I’ve wanted to play – with a full band before heading over to Australia for a run of shows there. I like the feeling of knowing I’ve made decisions based on my own values, for me and not for anyone else. Being a young adult and feeling confident in who I am and what I’m about gives me inner peace. On a lighter note, I think the closest I get to perfect happiness is on my longboard, on a left-hand break, preferably at dusk. My parents. They’ve had an adventurous life and with many hardships. It’s their strength and ability to find humour in the toughest of times that keeps me grounded. The early days of my music career. First big gig: opening for Ronan Keating at Trusts Stadium Arena. I began the first song of my set and after a bar or two realised I hadn’t plugged my guitar in. Once I had, I then went for a big strum, so hard that my guitar strap broke leaving my acoustic to plummet to the ground. I picked it up, brushed my shoulders off and said to 4000 people ‘‘sorry, I’m blonde’’. My pink longboard, custom made by Steve Morris. I did an ocean passage from Auckland to New Caledonia. This trip was particularly rough. A magical experience but I was a little out of my depth. A great occasion for a first taste of sea sickness! Single-use plastic. It’s causing such harm to the environment but there are also so many alternatives, less convenient, yes, but it’s time to think about the bigger picture. A few simple things you can do at home: Reusable shopping bags and containers, re-usable drink bottle, keep-cup for coffees, steel or bamboo straws but, most importantly, consume less. One thing I’ve really learned to appreciate about my own upbringing was the couple of things my parents never paid much attention to – physical appearance and gender. I would like to bring my kids up knowing that neither of those things should hinder or affect your goals and dreams. This type of question messes with my head, selfish or selfless wishes? A bit of both. Delete single-use plastic from the world. A two-foot, left-hand break at every body of water I come across. Teslas for me and each of my band members. Jamie McDell’s Extraordinary Girl is out now.