by Guavo
Guavo originally formed as a group project at Massey University’s: Bachelor of Commercial Music. They were tasked with writing, producing, and releasing two tracks. Together they wrote ‘Run Rosie’ and ‘Gate 23’, which are now available as singles on their Bandcamp page. Guavo intend to continue working on their folk-pop sound over the coming months.
Listen to the single while reading the text.
Ella (Uke and Vocals):
“I never thought of myself as a musician in high school, to be honest, there are still times I don’t consider myself as one. But I like to tell stories and make people laugh. I think music is one of the best ways to that, which is why I love it so much. My outlook on the industry has changed a lot since studying a Bachelor of Commercial Music – it sounds cliche, but I really do believe that anything is possible if you really want it. Hearing stories about these inspirational people who really wanted to make art their career is amazing. Seeing them find ways to make it happen has given me so much hope that a future in the arts is truly possible for me, especially if I’m flexible and open to using all the skills I have.”
Tatum (Keys and Vocals):
“Music has always been a huge part of my life. I have been singing since I could talk. I love performing and writing songs that people can connect with. My taste in music and the way I write has completely changed since I begun to study at Massey. I love it because it’s helped me improved my skills greatly. Guavo is one of the best musical experiences I’ve had the privilege to be apart of – I picked up new instruments and discovered ways to merge our independent sounds. Ella and Jasper are so talented, and it’s great working with them. They’ve both taught me so much, and I can’t wait for our next release.”
Jasper (Electric Guitar):
“I’ve been dependent on music since learning the guitar. I recognize it today as the biggest factor in my emerging identity. To think that at the time I was just shifting my fingers in sequence. From there it was a gorgeous downward spiral into my lifelong infatuation. Finding out about this course [Commercial Music] was awesome; just knowing that you could go learn music without ancient ingraining codes and restricting yourself to conventions like in a music school. The course is about learning how to do music your way – I know I’m in the right place! The whole Guavo experience has organically grown our sound and has expanded my musicianship in ways I’d never predict. Each musician is unique, their qualities and combinations innumerous. I love sponging-in and being influenced by as many people as possible.”
And back to… Ella:
“Run Rosie is one of my fun stories. I showed Tatum and Jasper (what is now) the chorus of the song as I wrote it. A story about my flatmate losing her spare key (she was worried someone might break into her room to scare or steal from her) and came up with a little jingle about her having to ‘run run run run run.’ To my surprise, they actually liked the chorus (well, jingle really) and decided we were going to make it a song. Without them, we would have never made ‘Run Rosie.’ Tatum wrote a lot of the lyrics too, which are now probably my favorite lines in the song. We’ve been pretty lucky to have each other during this process. I’m so grateful!”
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Massey University’s: Bachelor of Commercial Music