Talent show regional final kicks off tonight

The Smokefreerockquest 2012 hits The Clarence Street Theatre this Friday night as the top youth bands in Waikato play off in the regional final.

While most of the finalists are groups, there is one solo act – 17-year-old Eden Hapuku has entered her first song writing competition, aided only by her guitar.

The seventh former at Fairfield College is passionate about music.

“Both my parents come from musical families, they wanted me and my brothers to learn, so they got us into lessons quite early.”

Eden plays the guitar, piano, ukulele and flute. One of her two brothers plays the drums, the guitar, the ukulele, clarinet and the piano.

Eden plans to perform the song she did in the regional heats and another she wrote last year for music class.

“It’s a funny little tune, about a girl who is infatuated with a boy,” she said. “I am excited about it.”

Despite encouragement from her music teacher over the years, Eden says she has only this time managed to pluck up the courage to enter.

“I’ve always done other peoples’ songs, to have people judging my own song is quite a big thing.

“When I write songs it is very random. I could be eating dinner and I’ll hear a chord or some lyrics. I have to get onto it straight away.”

Eden has a whole crew supporting her on Friday, some some coming from Whangarei, Hastings, as well, of course, her school.

“A lot of people I love inspire me,” she said.

Founder and director Pete Rainey says the competition provides a real pathway to success for young musicians.

“Right now Kimbra is doing brilliantly in the USA – would she have got where she is without Smokefreerockquest,” he asked.

Performers competing in the Waikato regional final are:  Red Nite Sky; We Need A Name; My Secret Alibi; Cardboard Kings; Lisa Hawkins; Splitting the Horizon; And Then There Were Five; Situation Vacant; All of A Kind; Eden Hapuku; Getting Up Backwards; and Bermuda Square.

Smokefreerockquest aims to motivate young musicians to realise the heights they can reach in their music careers.

The national final is at the Claudelands Arena in Hamilton on  September 22.