Gibz | Kaitaia
“I grew up in the small town called Kerikeri up North for about 15 years of my life.
Dropped out of school and moved down here to do music and started studying music. I guess the thing that makes me tick most is youth. So I do a lot of youth work now making sure that a lot of the youth in the community don’t go through what I went through as a younger person. Trying to get them to stay positive through music and fitness.
When I was 15, my partner at the time, we’d actually fallen pregnant, so I needed to find a job down here and I was heavily into drugs and alcohol. I almost lost it for a bit, and then managed to see the end of the tunnel, find the light, and just wanted to share with everyone, anyone that’s going through stuff like that, that there is positive outlets. That’s my main kaupapa. That’s what I do.
My whole life I’ve never been a Christian or, you know churchy type person, but at that time in my life when I lost my child, a couple of days later I lost my best friend to cancer, and I had just enrolled into Excel School of Performing Arts, which at the time I thought was cool. I got there, didn’t realise it was Christian-based, and kind of hit my lowest point and just opened out. That day I became a Christian, got baptised, and that is kind of the light that I’m talking about. I searched for something other than myself, and found the light.
The two main things that I got told when I was going through everything is; one, to stay connected with people, positive people, people that lift you up, and two, to find your passion. Find your passion and use it as a positive outlet rather than diving into the things that are easy like alcohol and drugs. I know it is easier, but finding that passion and trying to use that as a positive outlet, it’s harder but more rewarding. You get more life out of it.
Last time I felt thankful; actually probably a couple of weeks ago. We had a big kind of scuffle in my family, and managed to not lose anyone in the little feud that we had going on, so yeah real thankful for that. Probably a week ago. There’s kind of three sections in our family and we all control a certain part of the finances and everything. I won’t go too deep into it, but one section got greedy and started trying to take all the finances and money that we put together. The other section didn’t like it, so they retaliated, and there was a lot of fighting going on. I don’t really have a message to say much, because I never say much in the family, but thanks for not hurting each other.
I’m floating at the moment. I drop my step-daughter off to school every morning and then I go to the gym and then I go home and record music. Recently just finished with my job at Mercury, to try and focus some more time on music. So yeah, that’s what I’ve been doing.
Ah, what? Just sing a song?
Gibz singing – Valley you’ve undone me and you bet I felt it. Tried to be cool, but you’re so hot that I melted, and I fell right through the cracks, and now I’m trying to get back. Before the cool done run out, I’ll be giving it my bestest, but nothing’s going to stop me but divine intervention. Reckon it’s again my turn to win some or learn some.“
