VGB: QUICK FACTS

Who: Victoria Girling- Butcher’s stage name, VGB, has been a long time coming. “My name is ridiculous. It’s far too long,” she says.

What: Her second solo album is an alt-pop-ish medley of Victoria’s talents — lyrics, vocals, piano and acoustic guitar. But she won’t take all the credit. “After a full day of voice recordings, I go into a catatonic state of ‘ that’s just too much me’. Other people breathe another perspective into it.”

When: VGB’s single The Giver and The Gift was released last year as a prelude to the album release. She expects the album to be released by the end of 2022, pandemic permitting.

Find: Search ‘ VGB’ on Spotify or YouTube. facebook.com/ victoriagirlingbutchermusic

In her 15-year stint with the band, Victoria wrote three albums’ worth of songs, including the folksy-bluesy hit, AM Radio. Inspired by her father, she also carved another niche — journalism — with a part-time job in documentary research and an interlude to study the craft at the Western Institute of Technology.

“Ever since I started songwriting, it was always to communicate my angle on authentic human experiences. I love to tell stories in any form. That’s also what drew me to journalism — my curiosity about people and how they see the world.”

In her 30s, Victoria was having a ball of a time. Professionally, she was juggling Lucid 3, prepping for a solo album, and performing with Sir Dave’s band. She had also met a French-Japanese chap named Gregori Matsunuma while camping at Ōakura Beach. Everything was looking spectacular until her debut album Summit Drive dropped in 2011. Her physical health called for a sudden intermission.

She was diagnosed with early onset of Sjögren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that demanded a 180-degree lifestyle change. Stress-exacerbated symptoms such as fatigue were not exactly a great match for show biz. So she and (now husband) Gregori moved away from Auckland, first to New Plymouth, then a smidgeon further — to Paris.

France was supposed to be a sabbatical of sorts, but music tends to latch onto Victoria wherever she goes. She was hired by the owners of a bilingual rock school popular with children of the rich and famous; never will she forget the day Jarvis Cocker (frontman of English band Pulp) observed her teaching lyrics to his son’s class.

“I was thinking ‘Surely, he’d like to contribute since he’s one of Britain’s most famous lyricists?’ He didn’t say a word.”

Paris was enchanting and exhilarating, but Taranaki’s backcountry charm and magical maunga force has a way of luring people back home. Sure enough, when Victoria became pregnant with Camille (pronounced Cah-mee) in their second year in France, she and Gregori only envisioned Taranaki for their future.

Seven years later, Victoria is hitting the right chord in both life and music. Daily beach walks and regular Pilates keep her symptoms subdued, which means summer concerts and lengthy recording sessions in Auckland are doctor approved. While living in a rural corner of the country may seem a roundabout way to go about a career that demands an audience, history shows this Taranaki troubadour never shies from a challenge.

“As long as I’m maintaining personal satisfaction of expression with my music, then I’m achieving. As with anything creative, why do we do it?”