SETH HAAPU (BalconyTV)

PRESENTED BY SIR-VERE BROUGHT TO YOU IN ASSOCIATION WITH notourfuture.co.nz & ripitup.co.nz

The St Francis Xavier quote "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man" rings true in the case of Wanganui born singer-songwriter Seth Haapu. Raised by his singer mother and multi-instrumentalist father, Seth grew up surrounded by instruments, groups of musicians practicing and the sounds of the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, James Taylor and Rickie Lee Jones. He formed his first group at the age of six with two siblings and the harmonizing trio performed locally at church and community events.

Always a prolific writer, Seth wrote his first song aged eight and set it to a Kenny G instrumental, which he then enhanced using two tape recorders to provide layered harmonies!
Over the next 13 years Seth continued to craft his writing skills as he trained in classical piano and taught himself guitar while performing regularly at school assemblies at Rotorua Boys High School.
Then, having just celebrated his 21st birthday, Seth began to write the songs that would ultimately make up his self-titled debut album, set for release in June 2010.

"By the time I turned 21 I had grown musically and experienced more of the good and bad in life so, while I still had the excitement of that eight year old writing my first song, I now had the ability to bring my feelings to life in an honest, natural and original way through my music and lyrics."
The first song Seth wrote as a 21 year old was Bones, which has now been released as the first single from the album.

"Writing the songs that have ended up on the album has been a revealing experience for me. I write best when I am feeling creative and in the middle of an emotion -- whether it's joy, anger, love, frustration, or humour. And because of that I feel that my songs come out in a way that other people could also relate to."

Seth spent 2 months at Neil Finn's Roundhead Studios recording the 14 songs that make up the album. His album was self-produced, a decision Seth says was incredibly easy to make yet difficult to begin.
"The skeleton of each song was at the ready but the challenge lay in the act of directing. As an unknown it was tough to find the authority to take the reins. I guess the confidence eventually came from being in such a professional setting which was a far cry from my humble home studio"

Working alongside musicians such as Godfrey De Grut (Che Fu), Nick Gafney (Golden Horse) and Chip Matthews (Open Souls), the resulting album delivered perfectly to the vision Seth set out to achieve.
"It felt like the songs reached their full potential in the Roundhead environment. I finished the album with a real sense of fulfillment."

www.facebook.com/SethHaapu
www.myspace.com/sethhaapu

Tune in again Tomorrow!!!