Photography: Babiche Martens.
It comes as no surprise that Reb Fountain’s home is as magical as her artistic prowess. Her Auckland property, rich with natural abundance and sentimental heirlooms, is the perfect place for nurturing creativity. It is also the very spot where her latest album, How Love Bends, came into existence.
Tell us about your studio. Has it always been a part of your home? Do you find that the studio is an extension of your home life, or are they two separate entities? What’s your favourite thing about it?
Music has always been a part of my life, it’s woven into the fabric of my home. I grew up surrounded by music, and when we immigrated to Aotearoa [from the US], we used music as a way to connect with other families. I played a lot of music for my kids, and they grew up with evening band practices and my music mates sleeping on the couch when they were passing through.
The line between my work/music and my home life is gloriously grey, and in many ways, these commitments nurture each other. The amorphous nature of my respective roles enables flexibility; wherever I feel comfortable, I can create – a guitar and voice memos on my phone can be my studio. I slept and worked in my current studio – having band practice with the bed in the corner – for many years. My studio has evolved with this integrated ethos as its foundation. It has become a space where I and others can create, rehearse, write, record and do the work. I love it.
What does the perfect creative day look like to you?
Removing deadlines, easing responsibilities and allowing myself to dive down any particular rabbit hole is liberating for creativity and fun. Pottering in the garden might help me seed a melody, researching a topic could inspire a lyric or feeling, constructing and deconstructing a musical landscape might be the start of a new song.
What makes your house a home?
For much of my life, I’ve been trying to recreate the feeling of community I felt at my grandmother’s home growing up. She had family, borders and friends and neighbours in and out, with music and animals abound. In many ways, I have developed my own version here in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s a space and place that meets the needs of myself and my family. At the core of my home is a place where whānau can come to stay, to create, to share kai and to be together.
How much of How Love Bends did you craft at home?
It was conceived entirely at home; the songs were nurtured and firmly rooted in the home/studio atmosphere. So, although we needed certain facilities and expertise beyond the home space, these additional layers were informed by the genesis. However, much as the home studio was the foundation of the record, the transition to another space enabled me to move beyond the romance of endless time and space and forced me to complete the work. The balance of both has been essential to the album’s creation as a whole.
The stunning visuals for the album embrace the beauty and ever-evolving landscapes of Tāmaki Makaurau. How much inspiration comes from the world around you?
Everything I interact with leaves me feeling influenced and I see connection and care as integral to my humanity. I take my responsibility as kaitiaki of my small corner of the world, our whenua, our whanāu and our future very seriously. It’s a reciprocal relationship and I hope, in some small way, the inspiration I draw from my lived experience – that I transform into my work – reflects and refracts in a way that may not change the world, but might just embolden others to shift our collective trajectory a little.
Your nationwide tour kicked off in April and ends in May. What’s the best part about touring?
Playing music with my friends. Playing live to an audience is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. All the work leads to here.
What does the rest of 2025 have in store for you?
We’ve got shows throughout New Zealand in April/May and are heading to Australia in September.
What is the best way that our readers can immerse themselves in your work?
Come see us live. This is where the magic happens. I can’t wait to connect with you and play for you. Grab your tickets today from my website.
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