What can we expect to see from Tomorrow People over the next year?
Now that our debut album is released, we are locking in dates to tour nationwide and promote the album. We’ve also locked in a few dates across the ditch which should be good.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
When starting out, be very clear on what your goals are, and the reason you are doing this. It makes things a whole lot easier in the future. After that, study hard and learn all you can about the industry from as many people as you can. Lastly, don’t be one of the hated guys/groups in the industry, NZ is too small a place and word gets around.
Who are your favourite NZ musicians/bands, and why?
We have so many and within the band members it varies a bit. In terms of albums, the last Katchafire and House of Shem albums were both solid as and get constant rotation in our tour van.
What will Tomorrow People's next release be?
We have just released ‘Take It Away’ along with an independently filmed video clip.
How do you come up with your lyrics?
Most of the time, it’s inspired by true events of the past, or a message that we want to get out to the people. Some of our songs are a lot ‘lighter’ than others and are just about having a good time.
Who would you most like to support live?
Internationally, we would love to tour with UB40! We’ve supported most of the big names in NZ reggae which have been amazing and humbling experiences.
How do you believe Tomorrow People fit into the NZ music industry?
Within the NZ reggae scene, we bring a sound that is new and fresh. It’s a style that we didn’t intentionally try for, but just what came out when we were jamming. Within our music you can hear a bit of roots, lovers rock, pop, island, Jamaican and definitely Aotearoa influences.
What can you never leave home without?
Our GPS! On the road, this is KING!
How would you describe your music?
Feel good reggae music with soothing vocals and a tinge of roughness.
What is your favourite NZ venue?
San Francisco Bathhouse in Wellington.
What is the best part of being a musician?
It’s definitely not the money! Haha. One of the best experiences is when we play live and hearing the audience singing our original songs back to us, word for word!
What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?
I would like to see more live acts in Wellington… it’s a hard market to crack and may not be financially viable for other musicians, but it would be awesome to see more reggae/R&B/hip-hop pass through Wellington.
What is in your CD collection at home?
In terms of physical CDs, I have almost every NZ reggae bands album and also a wide selection of NZ R&B and hip-hop. I also collect classic albums such as Bob Marley ‘Legend’ and Fiji ‘The Best Of’. MP3s and Spotify are huge these days, but I still like to keep a CD collection.
What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?
No comment!
What is your favourite place in NZ to be?
Opononi. It’s really beautiful there!
What inspired you to become a start Tomorrow People?
Music has always been in the family. As far as I can remember, we’ve always enjoyed singing, jamming on the guitar and piano and the socialising aspect that comes with music. Moving into the band scene was a natural progression.
How did you come up with the name Tomorrow People?
We wanted a name that would pay tribute to the forefathers of reggae, while still maintaining a contemporary feel. Tomorrow People is a song by Ziggy Marley, son of the great Bob Marley. It also casts futuristic allusions in the way that we work, when we started we wanted to be the band of ‘tomorrow’.
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
One of the highlights would have to be playing at the Linton Army Camp for the NZ Army. We played there with Katchafire and it was such an honour to play for our soldiers.
How do you keep in contact with your fans?
We stay in touch on the regular through Facebook and emails. We have also dived into the world of Twitter recently.
What rumour would you like to start about Tomorrow People?
Haha…hmmm, not too sure how to answer that! Maybe you can say that Rihanna is stalking one of the boys.
Out of the 100+ reggae bands currently active in NZ, not one of them has moved up the ranks faster than Wellington band Tomorrow People. From their humble garage to an award winning debut album, the band has gone from strength to strength and showing no signs of slowing down.
A studio project turned live stage show, the 7-piece band are purveyors of what they describe as ‘sunshine reggae’. Focused on providing a mid-tempo sound that, while clearly reggae-centric, adds touches of dancehall ragga to its colour. It is a sound built around strong vocals, soothing harmonies, catchy hooks, aggressive ragga raps, and feel good riddims (rhythms).
Together, the members of mixed descent (NZ/Maori/Pacific Island) have decades of experience in the music industry, citing previous careers in hip-hop, R&B, gospel, funk and soul. Taking their name from a Ziggy Marley song, Tomorrow People live up to the futuristic allusions it casts, having built their fan base via social media (www.facebook.com/tomorrow.ppl) and demo tracks uploaded to YouTube. While they gather their musical influences from Jamaican and Hawaiian artists alike, once combined with their roots in NZ music, they bring a sound that is clean, laid-back and easy on the eardrums.