But she’s packing her bags and heading to the United States, having recently been announced as the winner of a Fulbright award to study a Performer Composer Master of Fine Arts at the prestigious New School in New York.
Even though Phoebe was obsessed with music as a child—she knew all the lyrics to Steely Dan’s Aja album by the time she was seven—and threw herself into every possible musical opportunity at high school, studying music at university wasn’t her initial plan.
“I thought I was going to study law. It sounded sensible, and when you’re kind of good at English it’s what you think you should do. But about two weeks into my first year I got the flu, and in some sort of feverish haze I decided to transfer to the jazz programme when a spot became available for a bass player,” she says. “I just signed up. I didn’t think about it too much which was funny, as it’s turned out to be one of those huge life decisions that ends up changing the course of everything. I’m so glad I did—I can’t imagine the alternative now.”
Phoebe studied electric bass at the start of her degree, and switched to upright about halfway through her first year. “I was taught by Tom Warrington, who’s a bit of a legend—he played with the Buddy Rich Big Band and a lot of other greats in the American jazz scene,” she says. “I also learnt from Rodger Fox—he organised a lot of gigs for us around the country, and brought some incredible international guests to Wellington. He was always so great for that.”
Phoebe says studying at Te Kōkī has helped her find her own voice as a musical artist. She actively tries to steer away from traditional lyrics in her songwriting—some of her songs have examined topics as varied as allergies (‘Sniffly Lady’) and a lonely gannet (‘Nigel’)—and composes her songs on piano, guitar and bass, using beatboxing and singing to demonstrate the instrumental arrangements.
Phoebe formed Revulva at the end of her Honours year at Te Herenga Waka. “I was playing bass and singing backing vocals with some indie bands around town, and was seeing ways I could bring a theatrical vibe to it and make it more of a ‘show’,” she says.
“I had been writing some songs and I asked my friends to play, and then I just booked a gig. A week before, I started feeling very anxious and was having panic attacks about it, but the gig went really well and there was a great engagement with the theatricality and storytelling aspects. So I just kept booking gigs—I’m quite stubborn like that!”
That persistence has paid off in spades for Phoebe. Revulva, which she describes as “an improvised soul-funk theatrical eight-piece with horns, backing vocalists and spoken word, with some jazz and indie elements” has garnered a following of loyal fans over the past few years, as well as regular air play on the Student Radio Network and a live slot on Radio New Zealand. Revulva released a self-titled debut album in October last year.
Phoebe teaches bass at a number of high schools around Wellington and at Te Kōkī. She also plays bass for Dateline, which has been invited to open for The Beths on their tour of Europe and the UK, starting in September.
“It’s an opportunity I couldn’t say no to, even though it’s meant deferring my start date at the New School,” says Phoebe. “I’ve never been to Europe before, so this will be a really crazy way to see it for the first time!”
She says applying for a Fulbright award was another last minute decision that has paid off.
“I sent my application at midnight on the closing date. I was having a really difficult time—I was in the middle of releasing Revulva’s album, and was questioning what I would do next. But I had played a wedding gig with Eilish Wilson, who was a Fulbrighter a few years ago—she encouraged me to apply, and followed up with some messages as the application date approached, so I did it almost on a whim.”
Phoebe was invited to be interviewed, and faced an “intimidating” selection panel. Two days later she received the phonecall that she’d been successful.
“I feel so bloody lucky that it happened and it just fell into place like that,” she says. “Sometimes the best decisions are the ones you don’t agonise over and you just act.”
Phoebe starts her Masters at the New School in January and is keen to get stuck into everything the university and New York has to offer.
“The Masters programme I’ll be doing is a hybrid education in performance and composition in a conservatory style—it’s very eclectic and welcoming of you developing your own voice instead of adhering to someone else’s, which is very exciting for me.
“I’m so lucky and in disbelief. It doesn’t fully feel real yet. I don’t think it will be until I’m on the plane going there.”