Once you’ve heard Gin sing, you won’t forget the name.

For the uninitiated, here are the basics on the sublimely talented Gin Wigmore.

Gin is 23, a Kiwi, a gifted songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and she sings like you’ve never heard anyone sing before. Gin was born in Auckland, lives in Sydney and has just recorded her brilliant debut album, Holy Smoke, in Hollywood’s famed Capitol Studios.

Gin created Holy Smoke with Mike Elizondo as her producer [Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor, Eminem, Nelly Furtado, Maroon 5] and with The Cardinals as her backing band [as in the very same Cardinals from Ryan Adams & The Cardinals].

Cardinals’ guitarist Neal Casal has described Gin as “unquestionably one of the most exciting new artists to emerge in many years. Her songwriting is at once diverse, intelligent, melodic, and soulful. Her voice is raw and emotional, with phrasing far beyond her years. Her debut record is a fully realised statement of intent, promising a great career ahead.”

Fellow Cardinal Jon Graboff says: “Gin’s songwriting seems to subtly embrace so many different musical forms and lyrically, there’s often a maturity and depth that you wouldn’t normally associate with someone so young. There’s profound connection between her and all the great, soulful singers who’ve come before her and she adds a new chapter to that story.”

“It’s weird, I’ve had a really different musical upbringing,” offers Gin. “My record collection is ’50s, ’60s, ’70s – it doesn’t really go past that. I haven’t hung out with young bands, I haven’t hung out with young people. I’ve hung out with mostly 45+ [year-olds], all these people who have come into my life that are a lot older who have taught me so much. I’m only 23 but I feel a lot older than that at times. Wisdom has just been splashed on me every day for the last 10 years.”
Gin says that the days she spent in Hollywood recording Holy Smoke with The Cardinals and producer Mike Elizondo were quite simply the happiest days of her life so far,

“It was amazing,” Gin gushes. “We were standing in the amazing Capitol Studios, working in Studio B, sitting on Frank Sinatra’s chair, it was just ridiculous. Aretha Franklin has walked through those hallways.”

Gin and the Cardinals formed an instant unshakable bond. “Every day we were coming into the studio so pumped, we’d stay in there for 14 hours. It was awesome,” she says Holy Smoke was recorded in the same way they used to make all those classic records that Gin loves so much, with her and the band all in the same room together, face-to-face. “It’s just a great way to make a record,” Gin says. “It’s the best feeling when you’re cutting something live and you’re all looking at each other and you’re out of breath and you’re going, ‘Man, that was it! That was it!’ And everyone’s going, ‘Yeah, that was it!’ It’s just like you all had this magic on you for that three minutes.”

The Cardinals bring to Holy Smoke an intensity and musicality that lifts Gin’s work to a whole new level. But up front, singing for her life, it’s Gin Wigmore’s raspy vocal style that defines this recording. The 10 songs on Holy Smoke – led by the unmistakable urgency of lead single “Oh My” – almost defy description, a unique hybrid of pop and soul and blues and down-and-dirty rock & roll, often in the same song. I wanted all new songs,” Gin says. “I’m in a new chapter of my life. I think I’ve grown up a lot in the last five years so my songs on this record, the majority belong in this new chapter of life, so they show a whole new side to me as well.”

Once you’ve heard Gin sing these songs, you won’t forget the experience. For the uninitiated, as well as everyone who can already call themselves fans, prepare yourself for something special.
This is Gin Wigmore’s debut album, Holy Smoke. Everyone will soon be in agreement that it is a major work from an important new artist.

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www.ginwigmore.com