The website banner describes Inward Bound as a ‘London-based community supporting Kiwis in music’. The inwardbound.uk site includes pages of online resources covering things like visas, grants, venues and industry contacts, while the organisation itself provides a variety of management services, writing services (PR, bios, EPKs etc.), workshops and masterclasses, along with monthly meet-up opportunities. Inward Bound was founded by 37-year old Lucie Watson, until recently Head of Music at the London-based label services company Platoon, who is herself dedicated to supporting the NZ music community in London. She generously agreed to answer NZM’s Ex-pat Files questions.

Let’s kick off with some Kiwi basics like your home town, secondary schooling, and involvement in music in your growing up years?

Hello! My home town is Nelson where I went to a local co-ed called Waimea College. My memories of music around school are largely around Stage Challenge competitions which we competed in every year. More than the actual production I was obsessed with the soundtrack!

My sister and I would record the national shows that aired on TV on VHS and obsess over the songs used. I played clarinet and piano in the earlier years, then thought guitar was cooler, so I tried that for a bit. At home we always had music playing loudly and music was a constant feature of my upbringing, whether that was guitars and songs at whānau gatherings, obsessing over a new album, or going to gigs and festivals together.

Did you study at university level?

I did, and I’m proof that what you study doesn’t determine your career! I studied psychology and criminology at Victoria University. When I finished it was a real sliding doors moment where I applied to be a Probation Officer and for an internship at an advertising agency. I got the internship and it was the most incredible start of my career, teaching me about working hard and playing hard. (I have some great stories. Honestly the music industry has been tame in comparison.)

What first led you to involving yourself in music as a career?

Growing up I never really thought about the business side of music as a career path. I never encountered anyone who worked in music. In 2012 Spotify arrived in NZ and I would spend hours pouring over new music and discovering artists. Before then it was Soundcloud which was also great for discovery. But still, it didn’t occur to me that was part of A&R.

When and why did you leave Aotearoa?

In 2013 I left NZ and taught English in Kurdistan for a year, which was such an incredible experience. While I was there I had some downtime, and when I could get the internet working I’d be on Soundcloud finding new artists! I came across a blog called Indie Shuffle, so I reached out to the founder hoping that being in Iraq would give me some edge, and he agreed that I could be a writer. By doing that I had all sorts of artists, managers, small labels reaching out to me and I started to make some contacts and understand the types of jobs in music. I have an English passport, so it was a no-brainer that I’d go to London and try to make it in the music industry.

When I arrived I threw myself into making as many connections as possible. I went to every industry event, volunteered at music festivals and at a label, caught up with anyone who’d reached out via Indie Shuffle and met some cool contacts by doing so.
In 2014 my soon-to-be boss was looking for a project manager. Through some wonderful serendipity my CV landed in his inbox and I started working with him in Feb 2015.

We worked on the launch of Apple Music together which launched in July 2015, and off the back of that in 2016 we started a Label Services company called Platoon, which I was in the founding team of. At the time the model of boutique distribution and services didn’t really exist and the first two artists we signed were Billie Eilish, at age 14, and Jorja Smith at age 16. I was Head of Music at Platoon for eight years and saw the company grow from me being the first employee to scaling to a team of 50 full-time staff, across Cape Town, London, Berlin and the US, and it being acquired by Apple in 2018.

How long have you lived in London?

This is my eleventh year. Last year we almost moved to Sydney. We told our whānau we were coming home, booked our flights… but the world presented my husband with an undeniable career opportunity worth staying for, so we decided to stay. Within seven days we’d cancelled our flights and let our families down. (Luckily they told us they wouldn’t have believed it until we boarded the plane!)

What’s your involvement in Inward Bound? How did it come about?

Well, when we decided to stay in London I was seeking new purpose to be here. I had been excited to come back to the southern hemisphere to see how I could get involved in the NZ/Aus music industry, but I realised that I could possibly be even more valuable by still being in London – by building a bridge between NZ and London for artists who either live here or travel here.

I had met a few amazing kiwis who worked in music, so I gathered us together to have a beer one evening, then suggested we do it again. One month later we had another meet-up, but you know how Kiwis are, we had about 25 people show up! And that was that. We now do regular meet-ups, host panels and workshops, have a community group and a ‘couch-surfing for Kiwis’ WhatsApp group to help travelling Kiwi artists with London sublets.

Is it a passion project on top of your ‘real’ job, or is it full-time employment?

It’s a passion project which is non-funded for now. I have an incredible counterpart (Rose Kirkham) who helped me run this community while I was juggling ambition and a newborn.
Through my work with Inward Bound and speaking with Kiwi artists I spotted an opportunity to have a label services & management company that works with Kiwis who have big international appeal, so last year I quit my job at Platoon to launch my label Goodtwin.
As well as the label side we’re becoming an amazing marketing arm for emerging and independent artists, helping to distil the industry into practical guides, writing a regular Substack post and offering a lot of structure to artists, so that artists can get the boring box-ticking done around releases and focus on the fun ideas and creativity. Goodtwin is also self-funded for now, but I know it’s going to be an incredible year with lots to show for, so I’ll then be looking for investment.

Where does London currently sit on the average overseas Kiwi musician’s destination list do you think?

It’s a very compelling destination for a Kiwi musician. Firstly, the working visa has now extended to three years and up to age 35. Then a lot of people have ancestry here, meaning the next visa might be more attainable. Kiwis also flock together and help each other, so it’s likely that there’ll be a softer landing by arriving and catching up with people on the ground here already. Berlin and Amsterdam are also still attractive for the lifestyle and creativity that they lend.

What arguments would you raise for and against Kiwi musicians locating themselves there in 2025?

For: The youth visa that I mentioned above, the community and the insane amount of opportunity.
Against: The weather. (But as I tell people, “I don’t live in London for the weather!”) By the way, it rains a lot more in Amsterdam, I lived there for a year.

What are some common misconceptions or mistakes new arrivees might make?

From speaking to some Kiwis who have recently arrived, some have had the harsh reality that when you land in London in many ways you’re starting again from the bottom – and necessarily working your way back up, in terms of fans, connections, etc. NZ is a wonderfully supportive music industry and community, and people come over here expecting the same straight away.

Is gigging, recording and making a living generally possible?

Yes it is. There are some Kiwi artists here who work in music full-time and have a lot of different income streams. It takes a lot of hustle to get to that point, but Kiwis aren’t afraid of hard work.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your own life. What does an average day run like?

I live in Hackney/Islington area. I’ve always lived here. An average day involves meetings with UK and Kiwi industry and LOTS of comms with Rose (who’s also based in Hackney). We’re often working from cafes, or from home. My dream is to have an office and a bigger team, but when we started Platoon I spent two years working from cafes, so I know this is part of it.
NZ will always be home and we try to come back every year over summer to see friends and whānau. London has been so great to us, it’s a good place to raise young kids and focus on our careers. I’m sure once the kids are older our priorities will change.
My favourite artists always change depending on who’s in release cycle! Right now I’m rotating Saya Gray, Kwn and Ezra Collective.

When I was thinking of names for the label I knew that I’d know it as soon as I heard it. I was throwing names around, thinking about my personality and what I could relate to. When I came up with Goodtwin late one evening I knew it was right. I slept on it then woke up and grabbed all the domain names and handles. (@goodtwinofficial)

I’m an identical twin and my sister is running creative for Kiwi artists as part of the label. Funnily enough we have emails dating back to 2008/2009 where we’re sitting at our admin desk jobs in Wellington dreaming up labels and music companies that we could start together. Now we’re making this an incredible reality! We’re always getting the comment, “Does this make you the Bad Twin?” but I like the idea of twins as co-label heads, forever vying for the ultimate title of The Good Twin.