A late starter to the music industry, Sean Donnelly treated music as a hobby for many years.
"In many ways I still do."
Donnelly describes his early days as "mucking" around with music. He put out his first album 3 in his 30s in his spare time describing it as an experiment. That experiment got quite a bit of play on student radio.
"It had a knock-on effect and started my career for me."
He was happy to leave behind his career as a psychiatric nurse, discovering it was not the job for him.
"It was too much of a custodial job in so many respects."
A career as a professional musician was much more appealing even though it meant some tough years financially.
Donnelly had always "dabbled" in songwriting throughout the years and had "sampled" varying types of music from synth pop to instrumental.
"I’ve always been all over the shop. I’m primarily a listener. I’ve never had any formal training."
He sees his music as an extension of being a listener.
"I’m making things I want to hear really."
The music industry has been very kind to him, he says. He has won two Aotearoa Music Awards, the Taite Music Prize (in 2013 for Elastic Wasteland), and being shortlisted for the 2007 APRA Silver Scroll for his song Beautiful Haze.
"I’ve never been well-known as a pop artist in New Zealand, but there is a niche audience in New Zealand. I have friends and patrons who like what I do and help out."
For his latest album Sweetheart those "friends and patrons" include Kiwi greats Tami Neilson and Don McGlashan. Donnelly describes it as eclectic and influenced by early 1980s synth-pop.
Songs on the second side of the album are influenced by The Beatles’ Abbey Road medley.
Dunedin also had its influence, as Donnelly has found himself walking the city’s streets, absorbing the Gothic architecture and history.
"I come back with ideas."
The album, his ninth, has not received the playtime on student radio that he had hoped for. Nor has it had many reviews apart from the Otago Daily Times which described it as "Sophisticated adult transmissions to stir the heart and ears. Soulful".
His move south came as the result of his partner, a psychotherapist, getting a job in Dunedin and then a friend suggesting he apply for the Mozart Fellowship.
Securing the fellowship last year was an amazing opportunity to indulge in his "creative impulses", he says.
"I’ve been able to try out things I hadn’t been able to before. I’ve had a few interesting failures although nothing is ever a complete failure — it’s all good compost for other projects."
One of his "impulses" was the "grandiose" idea of a rock opera as he liked the idea of how narrative-driven that type of music was.
"I think it’s come to a sticky end. I’m at an impasse with that," he said before Christmas.
Having reassessed his priorities for his second year of the fellowship this year, Donnelly has realised he is still running into the same problems with the concept.
"I operate in the best position when I do not know what I’m doing. But having a story construct in advance is a little more of a contrivance, more obvious than I like. I’d like it to still be mysterious to me.
"I’d rather make something I think is good and enigmatic to me and gets people up on the dance floor."
His main priority for 2023 is to finish some work, having not managed to do so last year. Last year there had been a lot of "fermenting and germinating" going on.
"I’m aiming to complete two albums this year as I have enough material to do it. I’ve got a strong desire to get in boots and all."
Also in the planning is a live tour later this year to support the release of Sweetheart which he describes as a natural evolution of "where he’s been".
Touring is something he had "neglected" prior to the pandemic and then Covid-19 restrictions meant it was not possible.
"Some artists were brave and did it, but I wasn’t in a position to do so."
He admits to not being a natural on stage, finding the idea of getting up on stage difficult.
"It’s never been my favourite thing, [but] once I get up on stage I love it."
Performing in Nadia Reid’s postponed Christmas show last month was a "nice little taster", he said.
As well as making his own music, Donnelly has composed soundtracks for many of New Zealand’s leading film and television productions, producing traditional and experimental acoustic work.
He also enjoys mentoring and producing the next generation of musician’s work.
"I like helping get the good ones out into the world."
