According to herself, Body Of Work, real name Sarah Illingworth, has “worn a bunch of hats in the music industry”, but is relatively new to releasing her own material which was produced by and recorded with Shannon Fowler (Tom Lark among other credits) thanks to NZ On Air Music‘s New Music Development grant. Planned as a taster for an upcoming LP release, her latest single Bottle To Go featured on NZ On Air‘s NewTracks compilation this September.

What’s your given name, where are you from and what instruments do you play?

Sarah Illingworth. I’m from Tāmaki Makaurau although my mum’s side of the family are Burmese Indian, and my dad’s side are from northern England. I play a few things poorly, and have been focusing on improving as a vocalist.

Was any high school or other music training especially important to you?

I’ve worked in and around music since my late teens, and have learnt a lot from the artists I’ve known and worked with. When I moved to Manchester in 2014 I took some lessons, bought a secondhand guitar in Sheffield (the Falcon!) and a basic keyboard. I’d also wanted to learn drums for ages and started lessons a few years into being there with a friend Andrew Cheetham – he plays with a bunch of great UK artists; Richard Dawson, Jane Weaver, Irma Vep. Look them up!

I’d finally signed on to a shared practice room at the start of 2020, then found myself back in Aotearoa c/- Covid. I kept doing weekly lessons with Andrew via Skype till about this time in the year – then daylight savings came along and made the time difference untenable. We both chose sleep over me continuing my drumming education! I’d love to say I’ve picked the lessons up with someone here since, but that has not been the case. I have good intentions of doing this at some point though!

Any other projects that we might we know you from?

Nope! But I’ve interviewed and written about a bunch of local artists, and done publicity for the likes of Anthonie Tonnon, Lips, and Tom Lark. I’m currently working at Recorded Music NZ doing communications (all recording artists should become members, please!). As well as dealing with copyright and licensing – similar but different work to our padres at APRA – we run the Aotearoa Music Awards and Official Music Charts. (There’s a new charts site coming that’s going to look super cool.)

How has your writing evolved from your beginnings in songwriting to now?

I’ve always written lyrics, and had little bits of melody in my head, but I never developed the skills to develop them instrumentally… it can be intimidating working around people who are so good at what they do, and as I got older it felt increasingly embarrassing to attempt to start. Being in Manchester was a clean slate of sorts, I didn’t know anyone there initially – although the people I got to know there are music people. I’ve learnt a lot from them, and enjoyed being in a place where people are primarily doing it for the love 🤟🏼

NZ is so small and far away I feel like that sometimes puts a lot of pressure on people – either you have to be able to sustain yourself financially through music, or stop trying. Which leads to a high quality of work for sure – but can dilute the joy of the art in some ways – and take away from the role of music as catharsis and a way to connect at a community level (where everyone can participate, no matter how skilled or cool they are).

It does speak to the resilience of artists from Aotearoa though; to keep doing this work and be a lifer is that little bit harder and less comfortable, I think, than when you’re based somewhere that’s more of a hub. To even get to the hub from NZ takes so much, and then you have to build from there.

What’s the background of how Body Of Work came to be? 

My initial project as Body of Work, Secondhand Blues, is a collaboration with West Yorkshire-based artist Dan B. Hill (dbh, Irma Vep, NASDAQ), heavily enabled by Ōtautahi-born artist and producer Shannon Fowler (Tom Lark, Shannon Matthew Vanya, The Fuzzy Robes). Secondhand Blues had its start in 2019, while I was living in Manchester, UK. I’m now based back in Aotearoa, and releasing the first of a number of songs I’ve been working on.

How did you come up with that as a name for the project?

Body Of Work isn’t something I’ve been sitting on, it came to me recently and after a long time of not feeling like anything fit, it just did. I like it as it harks to the academic world, which I’ve spent time working in, and the idea that we should always be looking to fill gaps in a wider body of knowledge. Not that I’m solving any crucial issues with these tunes – if only! Also the name allows a bit of wiggle room to do different kinds of music and collaborations with a wide range of people 😉

Aside from this release, what’s been the big highlight to date?

Charting! Bottle To Go made it to #9 on the Radioscope Alt Chart, which was a cool buzz. It was also fun to do my first interview, with Zac Hoffman at Radio One. I’m so used to being the one asking questions, and am more comfortable with the written word most of the time, I was worried I’d stuff it up… but I enjoyed it way more than I expected, and believe I largely made sense. Result!

What makes Bottle To Go stand out for you as a single?

It’s so catchy! Just has that mystical earworm factor, that’ll probably make it really annoying after a few listens. That said, I’ve listened to it so many times over the whole process I have no distance from it (and also still enjoy listening). It was also the first song I’ve worked on to come to fruition, which makes it extra special.

What is the story behind the single?

Bottle To Go is a personal anthem, for better or worse. It harks back to my only long-term romantic relationship, but also to other chapters along the way.

What’s your favourite moment, musical or lyrical, of Bottle To Go?

I think it’s actually knowing the different iterations of the song (more below), and seeing it develop over time – and just the fact that someone could create something that felt like it called out my own storyline. Also, everyone bloody loves the banjo!

Who did you work on the song’s production with and where? 

The original track was made by my friend Dan who lives in a village close to Manchester that a lot of my friends have moved to. He’s one of those musicians who can pick up any instrument and know what to do with it, and decided to have a crack at making some pop tracks in Logic. He sent me a bunch of demos, with a vocal line hummed and auto-tuned through them, and asked if I could write lyrics to fit. I did actually mostly write to the shape of what he was ‘singing’ in the demos, which was a fun way to do it. Dan would never write emo songs about break-ups – I don’t think! It kind of felt like I was uncovering what was already there in some ways.

We tried out me singing on the tracks, then when I moved home, another friend, Cam Ballantyne, helped me re-record my vocal over the demo tracks of some of them. And THEN, another year or so later, Shannon Fowler and I agreed to do a trade where I did the PR for his Tom Lark ‘Brave Star’ album release, and in exchange he re-recorded the strongest of the Dan songs with live instrumentation.

Here’s a playlist of the song at different stages, if you’re interested! 

What would you like listeners to take away from the song?

Swings and roundabouts, things take time. It can be fun to drink alone – but don’t do it too often!

How do you generally work out what song would make a good single?

It’s usually pretty obvious which are the strongest and most widely accessible tracks, but it also depends who your audience is I guess. If you’re aiming for commercial pick-up (mainstream radio etc.) then you’re going to want to prioritise a song with high production values and catchy hooks. If alternative music is more your speed, think about who you want to play/pick up your songs, and which of them would be most likely to connect with their audience.

Who else is in your team?

At 41, I’ve been lucky enough to have worn a bunch of hats in the music industry and – other than the technical side of music making (which many would reasonably argue is the most important) – I can do most tasks myself. It’s just time that can be the issue. But as a previously longtime freelancer I’m used to that juggle and working nights and weekends, so it’s not too much of a stretch. Plus it feels so freeing to finally be working on my own stuff, it’s fun!

Are there any other musical endeavours you’re working on that we should keep an eye out for?

I released the second single from Secondhand Blues on October 4 – Maudlin To None – and there are another three songs to come from that group of songs, two of which Shannon and I are yet to actually record. The plan is to have another one out by summer. I’m keeping the official release date of the EP vague till that’s all locked in.

I also have some other songs I wrote myself that I’m slowly starting to develop with other artists and producers. I can play a few instruments poorly, so I’ve sketched them out but need help to complete.

Here’s one of the demos if you wanna check it out.

Can you please name three other local tunes that would fit well on a playlist alongside your song.

Oof I feel nervous to answer this, but I’ll tell you some local artists / songs I love that feel close:

• Lontalius: Faint
• Lips: It Isn’t Anything I’d Rely On
• Womb: Like In A Dream

Have any previous NZOA applications not gained funding or been included on NewTracks? Got any advice for others?

Nope! This was the first application I’ve been part of, primarily because I don’t yet qualify for things like NewMusic Single funding. The producer I worked with, Shannon Fowler, applied for the New Music Development fund and received it to work with me as a vocalist. He’s an established and experienced artist and producer, it wasn’t about me.

I have actually sat on a couple of Irirangi Te Motu | NZ On Air funding panels though, and it’s truly eye opening in terms of seeing how competitive these funds are. We’re talking 250+ applications most rounds, which the panel have to whittle down to 30ish songs. And the quality of the work being submitted is so high. I know how frustrating – and confusing – it can be to be declined, when you know a song is good and you have all the pieces in place. But try not to overthink it. As hard as it can be, keep applying. Things will align at some point.

Are there any musical blogs, YouTube channels or podcasts you’re super into?

RNZ do great work to support NZ music, with Music 101 and The Sampler, and all the other places music coverage pops up on their air and online. Hunter Keane always does tidy work with the Long Player on 95bFM’s Totally Wired on a Saturday, and I’m excited to hear more from Karyn Hay now she’s on their Saturday morning show.

There’s a lot of talk about the shortage of focused music journalism in Aotearoa at the moment, but I feel confident there are new things building and surfacing. Look to student radio everywhere as a starting point; sign up to record store and music org newsletters – and NZ Musician’s too, of course! Subscribe to direct comms from artists, like their mailing lists and Bandcamp updates. Don’t forget the socials.

The journalism of old may be shifting and changing but to my mind this opens the door to a wider range of perspectives. We may just have to try a little harder to hear them.