Grant Haua in interview “Less is more”

While in France at the Hall Blues Club in Pélussin, we met Grant Haua, currently promoting Tahanga, an album recorded solo during COVID and initially released digitally. Acoustic guitar, stomp box, vocals: a raw, stripped-down blues sound, as close as possible to what he delivers on stage. In this face-to-camera interview, the New Zealand musician reflects at length on the making of the record, his recording approach, his relationship with mistakes and spontaneity, as well as the songs from Awa Blues and the Māori language. A conversation that mirrors his music: direct, unfiltered, driven by a simple conviction in music, and perhaps in life, “less is more”.

As a bonus, discover 4 exclusive live extracts from Grant Haua’s concert at the Hall Blues Club, filmed by Tibo Degraeuwe!

🎥 Face to face: the exclusive video interview

🎙️ Grant Haua in conversation with Cédric Vernet

This new album, Tahanga, has been ready for a while. Why release it now?

We recorded it during COVID. That’s when I made it. At first, we were only planning a digital release. But after shows, especially when I was playing solo, people kept asking if I had a record that reflected what I had just played on stage. And since it was only available digitally, I had nothing to offer them, no physical CD.

So the main reason for releasing it now is also very practical: being able to sell the record after shows, and hopefully get it into a few stores as well.

When recording Tahanga, what are you trying to capture first?

Tahanga is really what I do live. Something very stripped-down, very raw. Usually just a stomp box, an acoustic guitar and vocals.

You could say it’s a fairly traditional form of blues, but it’s a way of playing that I deeply enjoy. I like the challenge of having only one guitar and one voice. I also do the band version, and I enjoy that too, of course. But honestly, I really, really love playing acoustic guitar and keeping things raw, tight and real.

“I’ve played these songs live so many times”

You’re alone with your guitar and cajón. How does a take actually start?

Since I’ve played these songs live so many times, I more or less know where to start and where to end. But I never play a song the same way twice. I have a clear idea of the starting point and a clear idea of the ending, but everything in between – especially the lead parts – I make up as I go.

That’s important to me, because it keeps things fresh. It maintains a sense of spontaneity. And I think it’s better for the audience too: offering something slightly different from one night to another.

What has changed between the recording and today?

I’ve put a bit more structure into certain things. Over time, you find better ways to play a song. There are so many ways to approach it. So I’ve reworked a few tracks, refined them, especially vocally. Guitar is great, but if you find a better way to sing something, that’s when it really becomes interesting.

At the end of the day, the real vehicle is the words. If you find a better way to carry them so people understand or feel them more, that’s exactly what I try to do. And of course, it keeps evolving. It never really stops. The songs keep changing over time, and that also keeps things alive for me.

Do you listen to the album differently now, with hindsight?

No, it’s funny, but all I hear are the mistakes. That’s really the first thing I notice. If you ask most musicians, they’ll probably tell you the same thing. Of course, you hear the good parts too, but most of the time, the mistakes stand out first.

So you try to listen to them, fix them, or just improve things, make them a little better, smoother.

You say you never play a song the same way twice. So what do these fixed versions on record represent for you?

When you put a version on record, you obviously want it to be really, really good. But it’s a double-edged sword. Because when you play freely, in the moment, things slip, little accidents happen and sometimes those accidents are exactly what makes it special. You don’t always know what’s “better”.

What I’m trying to say is that spontaneity in recording is very important. You can go into the studio with a very fixed idea of what the song should be… But I think it’s more important to stay in the moment and express the song as best as you can. And if that comes with a few mistakes, then so be it. To me, that will always be better than something too clean, too mechanical, without much heart.

“Awa Blues opened the doors to Europe for me”

You revisit songs from Awa Blues, an important album for you. Do you rediscover them?

Yes, of course. I love going back to Awa Blues. It’s an album that meant a lot to me. It’s the one that got me signed to Dixiefrog, and really opened the doors to Europe.

Many songs from that record are very close to my heart. There are three or four that I still play regularly. And sometimes I also bring back older ones – I’m doing that on this tour as well. Playing them again keeps them alive in my mind. And there’s also something strange: you record a song, and years later, you listen again and realize it was actually really good. At the time, you don’t always see it.

With time, you rediscover songs differently. You understand them in a new way, you appreciate them differently.

There’s a strong tension on this album. How do you feel it when playing?

I think it’s a good thing to have some tension. You need that feeling. I really try to make the audience feel it. But you can also overdo it. You can play too fast, too loud. For me, it’s always a learning process. As I get older, I learn to play less.

I try to do less, without going into technical show-offs. I try to live by a simple principle: “less is more”. If you can do less but say more, then you’re on the right path.

Your music blends blues with something very personal — your Māori culture. What do you bring into it?

I try to include at least one or two songs in Māori on an album. It’s a very rhythmic culture. The language has a real musicality, it works well with rhythm. And when you play abroad, Māori is almost completely foreign to most people. But in a way, it’s the same for me when I hear some European languages.

I find it interesting to hear other languages in songs. That’s why I wanted to bring Māori into my music, within my own format — blues.

It’s a challenge, yes, but a good one. And I really enjoy making it work.

Today, when people listen to Grant Haua, what do you want them to take away?

I just want them to have a good time and hear good songs. Songs are the most important thing to me. If you write great songs, they’ll do the work for you. And again, I come back to simplicity: “less is more”. Simple songs often work very, very well.

I also like more complex music, of course. But most of the time, I think it’s better to keep things simple and make them strong in meaning and emotion. If you achieve that, you’ll play a good show and the audience will have a good time too.

Finally, what was the first blues track that made an impact on you?

I was 13 when I heard Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan on the radio. That’s the track that really put me on the blues path. I still love it. And there’s also Pride and Joy, which is probably my favorite. It was really Stevie Ray Vaughan who brought me into the blues world.