“I wrote my first song in my early teens.  It was called ‘Christmas Every Day’ and the gist of it was that the spirit of Christmas shouldn’t be pulled out just annually, for that one single day. 

As I played it to an aunty and a few others, I waited for someone to tell me that they’d heard the tune before – that subconsciously, I’d pinched it from someone else.  But that didn’t happen, because it came from how I felt – and from the way I wanted the world to be. So, I continued to write. 

Like many, I grew up in state houses and was moved around a lot. I attended 14 schools, which taught me that things could be done differently and still be right. I wore hand-me-down clothes and was told that we were poor. 

A skinny, introverted and serious kid – it was like there was a hole where a child’s self-confidence ought to have been. Ours was a dysfunctional home.

So, for years, I doubted myself. And when I started to try and carve out my own identity and find my worth, instead of looking inside, I looked to others I admired for affirmation. I didn’t know how to gauge that I was anybody special - except in being affirmed by people I looked up to and considered to be successful.

What a journey! It’s a wonder I ever worked out which way was up.

However, with time, and the kindness of some of the best friends a girl could hope for, I started to find my feet. And most importantly, my voice. 

Not just to sing – but to speak up for myself. To know what I was about, and to grow into the woman I am today. 

My (as yet unreleased) ‘Gratitude Song’ puts it like this, “Once upon a time, so much of my life was a mess. Now that I am older, the percentage is less.”

Now, when I write a song from a place of worry, the act of weaving words and music together becomes cathartic. And by the end of it, my thoughts have usually worked their way through to a place of acceptance, or of hope. Not always. Some stuff is just sad. And the world needs sad songs too. The thing is though, I’m very grateful for my music, and an ability to put down on paper what might otherwise spin around in my head. And if I happen to be writing about something that someone else is going through too, then all the better, because we’re not in this life alone.

So, I thank Goodness for the times I get to hang out with friends and family. Those who believe in me and who’s joy is contagious when we celebrate our wins.

Thank Goodness for the childlike ones who remind me to laugh at myself.

Thank Goodness that I was born in New Zealand and can call this beautiful land home.

Thank Goodness, that although it’s been an imperfect life at times, it still continues to throw up days (or parts of days) that are freakin’ A-mazing!!” ❤️

— Rosie Kiwi Beth 2025