"Courage is underrated": Gin Wigmore announces first album in eight years, Beautiful Mess

According to the Wigmore, the album documents the contrast between life’s highs and lows across two distinct sides: one rooted in country and Americana, the other in raw rock energy.

The album was recorded over a week at a remote studio in the Palm Springs desert, working with long-term collaborators Dave Goodison and Steven Padin. Wigmore has described the material as covering love, loss, divorce, and motherhood – themes drawn from the past decade of her life. The record is split into two halves. Side A, labelled ‘Beautiful’, leans into softer, country-inflected arrangements with nods to Lucinda Williams, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Side B, ‘Mess’, moves toward raucous rock.

“I’m proud that I still let courage sit in the driver's seat,” Wigmore said. “The courage to be me, the courage to raise my kids in a really authentic and transparent way, the courage to make music with vulnerability, the courage to try shit, the courage to let it pass me by when it no longer nourishes. Courage is underrated – especially for how much of a necessary ingredient it is to embrace life to its fullest potential.”

Wigmore has accumulated six New Zealand Music Awards and multiple multi-platinum albums in New Zealand and Australia. Her music has appeared in television series including Grey’s Anatomy and Orange Is the New Black.