Hello Hello!!

Time to fill you in on some of my adventures! So sorry I haven't been in touch for so long, to be honest I have been doing hardly anything except writing songs for the first few months of the year, and wanted to save you from my pretty boring start to the year.

Well except SmashProof and I having our insane success with the single Brother at #1 in New Zealand for 11 weeks now!! That is unreal, thank you so much for supporting us with this track!

But now I have some juicy stories I need to keep you up to date on!

So, I left for Los Angeles with the band on April 21st to come over and play a few shows for NZ Trade & Enterprise and the big music convention, Musexpo. Our first gig was at Siren Studios, and the place was fully decked out with all things NZ for the Trade & Enterprise event. Played a wicked show, then we headed backstage for our ritual "downing the wines" when this husky voice comes out of nowhere and says "loved your gig Gin"...I turn around, and find myself staring straight at Macy Gray! It was awesome, I indulged in some chats, and of course whipped out the camera for some pics! 

We played another show at this cool place called Hotel Cafe the next day (fully recommend this place to see gigs in LA). And then the Viper Room on Monday night. That went down a treat, had people getting quite into things which was cool to see for a Monday. After that I grabbed my entourage and we headed to the Key club just up the road on Sunset Boulevard to begin the most hilarious night I have done in a while..

We went to see this Motley Crue/Guns and Roses cover band called Steel Panther. They are a phenomenon. We got treated like total rockstars as I was with my U.S label and Steel Panther are on the same label. So we all get in to this club, and into this unreal VIP spot...but there is a catch. To stay there you have to buy $350 bottles of Stolichnaya! There goes the week’s budget! So then Pat, my man at Motown asks if I want to meet the band. "YES PLEASE!", so we twist and turn our way down these grotty stairs to backstage to open the door on the most 80's rock band I have ever seen in my life. Tight leopard pants, purple headbands, electric guitars and tattoos, tattoos and more tattoos. Ahh heaven! Had some pics, got asked by the lead singer "You married? You Single? Wanna ****?" So wrong, but so right all at the same time. We race upstairs to sip on our drinks of gold... waiting...They run on stage, diving straight into a Motley Crue number, then some filthy banter, then more rock and roll. It was a hilarious night of boobs out, nasty chat, old school music and the lead guitarist being hoisted up over the crowd while playing Sweet Child of Mine. God I LOVE L.A!!

After crawling into bed at 6am, we woke later that arvie and did a mission up to Palm Springs to see the desert. Typical musicians, no planning skills to save ourselves, got there when all the desert parks had closed. So we stood at the gates, with the towering canyons looking over us, sun belting down, Pete (bass man) yelping from a cactus prick and I played the Uke. I wrote this song for my sister a wee while ago, and seeing as Lucy had come over all the way from London to see my shows I thought it was a perfect time to play it to her in the Californian desert. Palm Springs is definitely a place you go to die though, not much there except dodgy statue stores and spray tan salons. Guess I can tick it off as my retirement destination???

The band left later in the week and probably best they did as I think my blood was now half ethanol and my stomach hurt too much from laughing for the last 10 days! This left me and the rest of my crew to re-locate to Santa Monica, my new home for the next month. I am living right down on the beach in this cute wee shack and absolutely loving life.

I have now officially started recording my very first record. My days are consisting of running down the beach in the morning, diving in the glorious sea (saw dolphins yesterday!) then taking a cruisy drive over Malibu Canyon, listening to this amazing 60's station, to arrive at my producer Mike Elizondo's house. For the past few days we have been writing some awesome songs together and next week we go into Capitol Studios to record!!! I could go on and on, but I won't as you have probably all had quite the fill on me by now! So keep me updated on what is happening with you. Keep in touch and get ready for a great album, promise!

All my love,
Gin xx