‘I thought my career was over’
Rocking great muso Troy Kingi has opened up about the fear of losing his hearing and his career.
Regular Chatterbox readers will know this jack of all trades (acting, writing award-winning songs and now presenter of the Whakaata Mā ori documentary series Our Other Islands) is midway through a marathon plan to release 10 albums in 10 genres in 10 years.
But in an interview with Ataria Sharman on Stuff today, he reveals how he woke up deaf in one ear.
‘‘It happened five years ago. I went deaf one night in my left ear. I woke up and couldn’t hear anything out of that ear,’’ Kingi (Te Arawa, Ngā puhi, Te
Whā nau-ā -Apanui) says.
‘‘At the time, I thought my career was over. I was trying to sing, and it didn’t feel like my voice was coming out of my mouth.
‘‘I kept working at it and eventually found a new normal. Sometimes when I wake up on the side of my good ear, it feels claustrophobic, like I’m stuck in a closet because there’s no noise coming in through my left ear.’’
Now more than halfway through his 10/10/10 project, Kingi – who lives in Kerikeri, Bay of Islands, with his wife and five children – will release his sixth album, The Year of the Ratbags And Their Musty Theme Songs, on October 7.
And such is the success of the project that he just wishes he’d started it sooner.
‘‘The idea came to me when music wasn’t putting food on the table, and I wondered if
I’d have to give it up,’’ he says.
‘‘But at some point, I realised I still had heaps to get out of the system, and this was a way to force creativity and keep my music spicy and fresh.
‘‘After the release of my second album, I think I could’ve stayed in that genre and done well for myself, but I don’t think I’d be as fulfilled. I’m past the halfway mark with the release of my new album, The Year of the Ratbags And Their Musty Theme Songs.’’