Last year, Emily Bell and Samuel Leaper were two of the four students who received the University’s inaugural Six60 Scholarship. The scholarship lets them live, rent-free, at 660 Castle Street, for the whole year, as well as giving them the chance to be mentored by one of Aotearoa’s most successful music acts. Critic Te Arohi checked in with the scholarship winners to see how their year is faring and the projects they’ve been up to.
“It’s been a really good year,” said Emily. Her main focus in 2022 has been working with her band, Emily Alice, as well as working as a lighting technician at U-Bar. A perk of being in the newly-renovated flat, says Emily, is that “We can practise [in it].” It’s not all work and no play, though: “I’m enjoying being on Castle street – it’s a prime time for me as a second year!” She only hoped noise control would be kind to the most musically-notorious flat in the city. Samuel, who is the keyboardist for the band Black Sale House, agreed with her assessment of the year. He told Critic Te Arohi that the experience has been “pretty bloody cool”.
A few weeks ago, Emily and Samuel were lucky enough to spend some time with Six60, showcasing their projects to the band and receiving guidance on where their music is going, as well as just spending some quality time with “the boys”. Samuel said that “they’re really cool, fun people, and we all got some time with our bands and individual music projects working with them in the studio, getting feedback and advice.” Emily said the experience had them “realise [Six60] were just, like, normal people. They were super chill.”
During the meeting, the band reminisced on their time at Otago Uni. “It was so funny hearing their stories in the flat, you can tell it was nostalgic for them.” Six60 even found the time to remember parts of their Otago experience most may rather forget, like their red cards. According to Emily, “the boys” never put much thought into them: most were as simple as “5am wake up” or “drinking”. In music, as in life, it seems simplicity is key.
Asked to share some tips for budding musos aiming for a spot on this holy ground, Samuel and Emily both emphasised the importance of authenticity. “Just be yourself. If you go in, be like, ‘This is who I am and what I’ve got to give’,” said Emily. “It’s competitive, there were a lot of entries, they had a lot of interviews. So try and sell yourself, and talk about everything,” said Samuel.
Along with this, they agreed that getting a spot was only half the battle: you’ve still got to make the most of the opportunity. “Be proactive because there’s so much you can get out of it. Take advantage of what the flat offers you,” said Samuel. He, for one, shifted to part time study to ensure he could put as much energy into his musical projects and creativity as possible. Emily suggested that future residents “make goals [and] be proactive… there’s so much you can get out of a year or six months.”