After playing live and teaching music for many years, Chrissie Hart released her first EP, No Birthday, on March 29.
The EP is a collection of four original songs that Chrissie describes as “alternative, jazzy pop-rock”.
The independent project took Chrissie and her band a year-and-a-half to complete, and was recorded in North-Western studios in Massey.
The songs have a common theme – the idea that having “no birthday” means you are ageless, and can live free of societal expectation.
“The lyrics take the Mickey a bit, but have a real message behind them,” Chrissie says. “I wrote these songs to make myself feel better, so I hope they make listeners feel that way, too.”
Now that No Birthday is complete, Chrissie says she is looking forward to “getting back to the music” by performing and focusing on other projects.
One of her new ventures is leading Ōrewa College’s Jazz Band, which achieved second place at the 42nd National Youth Jazz Competition in Tauranga last month.
Chrissie’s role at Ōrewa College is her first school teaching position after completing her Graduate Diploma in Teaching last year.
She was previously a professional musician, performing in bars and hotels, and on cruise ships as well as playing for the residents of the Peninsula Club retirement village.
She returned to New Zealand in 2016 after developing repetitive strain injury (RSI) from playing the piano – something that has taken her two-and-a-half years to recover from.
Chrissie has studied music in Auckland, Wellington and California, and No Birthday is her first recording.
“It was a massive project for just four songs, but the process was really fun,” she says.
To celebrate No Birthday’s release, Chrissie and her band will perform at the Backbeat Bar on Karangahape Road in Auckland on May 11.
Info: undertheradar.co.nz/tour/10044/Chrissie-Hart.utr
To listen, search No Birthday on iTunes, Spotify, or Bandcamp.
