Chelsea Prince on Big Fan Ignite - INTERVIEW
After completing her internship in Event Management, Chelsea Prince sat down to discuss Big Fan Ignite and how the programme set her up for a career of success.
Big Fan Ignite is an 8-week programme that introduces young people to various roles in the music industry. I think back to when I returned to university to study Creative Practice, and how it signalled a pivot in my life into the creative industries. Sometimes, all you need is that first big leap to set yourself up for a new career, a new passion and a new community. One of the participants, Chelsea Prince, sat down with Bin Juice and spelled out her dreams for event management and how she brings manaakitanga into every space.
A. Tell me about yourself.
C. I am a student at the University of Auckland, studying a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Global Studies.
A. Did grow up in Tāmaki Makaurau?
C. I spent a lot of time living in the Waikato. I lived right around the corner from my primary school where it was kapa haka every day, and that was our community. That's where I got introduced to taking autonomy in my music journey. And then, at Hamilton Girls High, I did a little bit of barbershop. So that's kind of where I started experimenting with music and seeing different areas of it. But then I got to Auckland, and it kind of just stopped, because the school that I went to didn't really have many opportunities — it was kind of like, if you wanted to pursue something, you just did it yourself.
A. Why didn't you study music?
C. My parents also ask me that a lot. I think it was just because people scared me in my last year when it came to the music industry and how you have to do really well and work really hard to make it. And so I ended up just studying Global Studies and Commerce — and I actually do like it! But that's why I joined Ignite.
C. I joined Ignite because I wanted to shape my education into something that I actually liked, and that was music. Ignite was my way of trying to see how I could merge my two interests.
A. In terms of the programme, how did you find navigating a new space, coming from outside the industry?
C. It was scary at first, because of the fear of the unknown, but it was actually quite good. We had three Event Management seminars. We talked about how to finance a gig, how to programme artists, how to plan for an actual event, and what are the components of a gig that you need to actually be thinking about. Those seminars were quite structured. There was a lot of space for conversation.
C. The rest was actually having the opportunity to apply it in context. You can get fed all this information, but actually taking it out of theory and putting it into context is quite different. That was really helpful, and that's how we brought three events to life at the end of the program.
A. Tell me about these events.
C. We ran an open mic night, an indie night and a rock night. The open mic night was actually an idea that I threw out the first time we met, because I love community, and I saw how an open mic can bring that community together. I was like, I want to give it a shot, because this is something that’s been there just festering for however long now. Ripples was actually Rachel and Bella's idea — they love indie music, that's their forte. They were like, actually, I want to run an indie night. And then one guy was like, I'm in a rock band, so I want to do a rock night. That's how we came up with the three different events, and we just sat with our strengths, filling in gaps accordingly.
C. The Listen In tour that just came to New Zealand — Cuillin [the programme lead] had connections within the site management team, so a couple of us got to go on site and spend a day shadowing for work experience. That was super cool. I think from that experience, I realised that I just like to talk to people so it was super nice to be able to sit in the office and then just grill them. I just really wanted to be open and talk about things because it was a really cool opportunity.
A. Through the process, you got to meet quite a few artists — what was that like?
C. Quite a few artists. I think a big thing for me is manaakitanga — with every space that I open up, I try to make sure that whoever is inside the space feels safe. And so with manaakitanga, especially on the open mic night, a lot of the emerging artists that were coming through were still quite new and still very nervous. We were making sure that they knew it was safe, because it's a lot going on that stage, especially if you've never shown other people your music before.
C. Also, Cuillin does artist management, and she was my mentor throughout the programme as well. We had a couple of emerging artists in the programme itself, and one of the artists sat down with us and actually did an artist strategic plan. That was a really cool interaction where we sat down with the artist, talked about their goals and what they actually want to achieve and their journey as an artist. Then we mapped it out, put it on paper, and started working on it. I left that meeting looking for opportunities for her to perform, and she left that meeting with producers that she wanted to work with. I'm still keen to work on this because we also kind of just clicked in that meeting anyway.
A. What was it like being welcomed into the Big Fan community?
C. I think walking into the space, I was very scared, because sometimes artists are so cool that they are actually scary. But everybody in that space was so nice! On our open mic night, we allowed people to enter a raffle so that they could win a half day studio session. That's not free. We wouldn’t have been able to afford it. We emailed Savina, the General Manager, and she was like, “you know what, we'll just give it to you.” And Cuillin, alongside, Livi, Nat and Jasmine. They genuinely wanted the best for who was there. I think in a couple of weeks, I might be going to Livi’s flat to write a song. They're very open, very sweet. They make a space that can be scary very safe.
A. What do you see as the value of a programme like this, particularly for people interested in working in the music industry, but maybe see themselves outside of it?
C. I don't think you could leave this space and feel like you're not welcome in the community. It sets you up really nicely with people that you genuinely would like. We have a whole list of amazing mentors and they are super keen to support you. It's really nice to know that your name is now in that community and that people are looking out for you and thinking about you. That doesn't mean that you don't work hard — you still need to work hard and pull your weight, try to seek other opportunities, but to be honest, the connections and the community are inspiring.
A. I did a wee stalk of your socials, and I saw that you and I are both South African. I wanted to know what your take is on South Africans in New Zealand who are currently killing the game — like Jujulipps, Warren Duncan and Induna. They’re kind of taking over the local scene. What do you think is the reason behind that? What kind of energy do South Africans bring that's different for a local audience?
C. Historically, we all connect with our struggles, that is also what we communicate through music. People love culture, and it's so prominent in our music. I hear it a lot more now on the radio and amongst local artists as well. We all struggle the same, and so it's easy to connect with our Pacific communities and our Māori communities. It's not an unfamiliar sound — it's a familiar sound, but localised to fit within the New Zealand context.
A. And finally, what do you want to do with the skills you just gained through this experience? What's the vision?
C. My goal is to just be running a whole lot of events. The reason why I want to run so many events is because I want to open up space for newer artists, for local talent. I really love community, and it's not just for the people on stage, but it's also for the people that are watching the audience. I love to learn. I'm a very curious person, and so any space that I’m in, I’m willing to learn about it and give the best of my abilities. Like my family are South African, I feel like in our culture, you better work hard and be the best that you can be. You need to be better than better. And so that's just a mindset that my dad has always had, paired with my curiosity.