Ellen wins Taite Music Prize
Ensconced in one of Wellington’s favourite musical havens, a local singer-songwriter has produced one of the most exciting Kiwi albums of the past year.
Vera Ellen has just won the Taite Music Prize for her album Ideal Home Noise.
Working in Flying Nun Records on Cuba St, Ellen said the music-soaked environment was great for fuelling her creativity and a desire to produce her best music.
“I feel like it keeps me in touch with everything that’s coming up and all the amazing local music that’s cool and inspiring.”
Ellen was presented with the award on Tuesday night by 2023 winner Princess Chelsea and Nick Atkinson of Recorded Music NZ at Q Theatre in Auckland.
She took home the ceremony’s main prize with her sophomore album and received a $12,500 cash prize for her work.
Ellen said she wanted to use the money wisely to progress her music.
“Having some money to reinvest into the projects is extremely helpful. Any struggling artist understands how useful it is.”
She said she was gratified to be recognised among the select group of Taite winners.
“Pretty shocked and confused and stoked and elated and all those feelings ...”
She said the process of creating an album was both intense and life-affirming at the same time.
“The creativity and effort that it takes to put an album together, it is almost insane that it ever happens.
“A lot went into it. Blood, sweat and tears for sure. It was a massive process.
“Your brain almost makes you forget how hard it is, so that you can do it again.”
Ellen was chosen for a two-week New Zealand Pacific Studio artist-in-residency in Greytown last August where she produced a host of new songs, many of which she performed for a Wairarapa audience during the stay.
“I’m working on another album now which was demoed during that residency.”
Rolling Stone NZ labelled Ellen “one of the sharpest songwriters to emerge from Aotearoa in a long time”, while RNZ’s Music 101 celebrated the album’s joyous sound with “splashes of synth, and Ellen using every colour in her vocal palette” despite the record’s introspective themes.
She has an EP coming out on streaming platforms on May 17.
“It’s a collection of really intimate demos that I made in my bedroom over the last couple of weeks,” she said.
Ellen was also about to join former Taite winner Reb Fountain and alt-pop band Voom for a nationwide tour next month.