Brooke Fraser isn’t just a pretty face with an amazing voice. She’s also a girl 
who’s determined to use her fame to help the victims of the genocide in Africa.
Eve had an inspiring chat to Brooke about her time in Kenya, her new album, and New Zealand…
It’s three years since Brooke’s debut album What To Do With Daylight went seven times platinum. She now returns to New Zealand with her incredible new album Albertine. Three years and a whole lot of life experience have made a difference to Brooke’s sound, with Albertine delivering 12 exquisite songs which have new-found maturity, worldliness and depth.
One of these life experiences includes Brooke’s time in Africa.
“I’ve always had a thing for Africa,” she says. “I’ve been so intrigued by it.”
So, after coming to the end of a really exhausting tour, she decided that some time off to get away from it all for a bit was just what she needed. Africa seemed like the perfect solution.
“Being this slightly naive and crazy girl that I am, I booked my ticket to Africa and jumped on a plane by myself.”
Brooke describes the things she saw in Rwanda as “so overwhelming that you almost go into coping mode. I would see these horrific things, but it was like I couldn’t cry”.
It wasn’t until she left Rwanda, during an 8 hour stop-over in Kenya that she decided to write down everything that she’d seen. Journaling her experiences was very emotional.
“There were moments when I just needed to stop, because it would start to hit me. There are times in your life when you physically feel pain, when you’ve had your heart broken or been betrayed. In Rwanda the first time, it was like that; I could physically feel this ache and this compulsion that I must do something,” she says.
Brooke describes this compulsion as being hard, as the selfish part of her regretted going.
“The selfish part of me thought that it would be much easier to just tuck this into my book of lovely life experiences and go on my merry way. But that wasn’t an option, I had to do something now. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what’s happening and I definitely don’t have all the answers and feel quite out of my depth. But I’ll do what I can right now.”
Doing what she can right now includes writing the beautiful, haunting track ‘Albertine’ after meeting an orphan of the genocide in Rwanda. She describes the experience as “the biggest privilege of my life”. Her guide, Joel, had saved the little girl’s life during the genocide. Brooke explains that there is no way Albertine would be alive now if Joel hadn’t saved her. 
“The gravity and the weight of what he had done just hit me – this is what life is actually about. It’s about counting your life as nothing in order to serve others, or save someone else. Just before I met Albertine, I sensed something was about to happen that was going to change me, that was important. And it did. I’ve never been quite the same since then.”
Brooke says that if there is a theme to the album, it is ‘others’.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about so much in the past few years; what is my life for and how is it best spent? I’m concluding that that is in the service of other people and not just building a nice little life for myself… I’m definitely not there yet, but that’s the goal.”
As well as some life-changing experiences, working with a group of incredibly skilled musicians, recording artists and engineers has given her album a new dimension. Brooke describes Kristopher Pooley, who plays keys on her album and travelled to New Zealand with her to promote the album, as “pretty much a genius.” She holds the whole band in extremely high esteem.
“They’re the most talented people I’ve ever met. And I
think it’s always good to be around people who are so much better than you. Because they push you, they bring out the best in you, and they don’t let you settle.”
“I just enjoyed it so much,” Brooke says, and the passion is obvious on her face. “I formed life long friendships in the making of this album which is the best thing about it for me.”
Sadly for New Zealand, Brooke relocated to Australia in 2004 (damn those Aussies take all our favourite things), after struggling to come to grips with being in the public eye.
“You’re a kid and then suddenly everywhere you go everyone is staring at you. I’m a girl, I’m insecure enough as it is!” she says. “I just needed to go to an environment where people didn’t know me, and what I did. A place where people would just love me for who I am."
But never fear, Brooke is back over here all the time and New Zealand still holds a special place in her heart.
"The more you travel, the more you realise that there is no place like New Zealand. I really appreciate that New Zealanders aren’t trying to be like anyone else – we’re a diverse but unified culture. I love that segregation is a foreign thought to us in New Zealand. I love the New Zealand innovation. I love our creativity. I love that everyone has a shot. We’re relaxed and unpretentious. I love New Zealand!”
Brooke’s new Album Albertine was released December 4 and is definitely worth checking out!
Eve
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