It felt like everyone in New Zealand went to Shihad’s final tour and, as basically the entire country slithered out of Auckland’s Spark Arena last Friday night, most of them (the ones not overcome with emotion at farewelling Aotearoa’s most iconic hard-rock band) likely left suitably impressed by the support act, Mim Jensen.
After missing the Christchurch date due to illness, Jensen wasn’t going to let another opportunity to support Shihad slip. “I feel very blessed,” she told Rolling Stone AU/NZ about the once-in-a-career opportunity.
Jensen may not rock out quite as viscerally as Shihad, but she knows how to construct a formidable indie-rock song or two. On Friday (March 21st), she’ll release her second EP, Shadow of the Gift, a record that confirms her prowess both as a songwriter and musician.
With Will McGillivray (whose Goodwill project featured prominently in our Best New Zealand Albums of 2024 list), on production duties, Shadow of the Gift captures Jensen in her healing era. The EP’s first singles, which contain flashes of Sharon Van Etten, Waxahatchee, and, Julia Jacklin, have been lapped up by US audiences, earning KEXP rotation and college radio plays.
The Ōtautahi-based artist is swiftly going global, and her forthcoming EP will help spread her confessional indie-rock even further.
Ahead of the release of Shadow of the Gift, we got to know Jensen better as part of our Up-And-Coming Aotearoa Artists series.
Mim Jensen’s Shadow of the Gift EP is out Friday, March 21st.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How did music influence you in your early life?
Mim Jensen: All of my earliest, happiest memories seem to be music related! One of my earliest memories is of my mum and I dancing around the lounge listening to [Cat Stevens song] “(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard” when I was two or three. I lived with my grandparents for a bit when I was growing up and remember Solid Gold FM blasting in the background all the time in the house, and in the car, so I grew up on all of this classic music from the ’60s and ’70s.
We also had this Yamaha upright piano that I used to mess around on, and I’d love listening to my mum play all the songs she wrote on it when she was a teenager. I finally got to have piano lessons when I was eight years old but gave up after a year and switched to guitar, which I fell in love with very quickly. I also used to sing in my primary school rock band, and started writing songs when I was 11 or 12. I just remember music being this constant force when I was a little kid, and that hasn’t really changed ever since.
What artists influenced you growing up?
When I was 14, I started getting into thrash metal because of a boyfriend I wanted to impress. That quickly ended and I’m grateful because it turned more into a love of Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Black Sabbath, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and The Doors. I used to hang with these older kids and we’d sit in a ditch behind a skate park and smoke cigarettes and they’d show me all these cool bands, so what was influencing me felt like it was constantly changing and evolving but I think that’s actually really important.
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When did you discover your passion for creating music?
When I was 13 I started taking songwriting more seriously and found that I had a bit of a knack for it and really enjoyed it. At 15 I went to a high school that offered a specialised music program which changed my life and made me actually enjoy school, and it was really great because it set me up for my further studies. Once I realised that music was this cathartic tool, I feel like it really cemented something in me and helped me get clear that this was my purpose and nothing else was really going to come close to this.
What are some career highlights so far?
Some career highlights so far would be performing at SXSW Sydney, supporting The Beths, getting the opportunity to support Teenage Dads, Great Gable, and The Rubens on their NZ tours, and supporting Shihad. “Germaphobe”’s success, creating Shadow of the Gift with Will McGillivray, and signing with my management!
Tell us about your new EP. It sounds like you’re exploring some serious topics in this Record.
Writing Shadow of the Gift brought to my attention all these parts of myself that felt unhealed, unsettled, and things that I was struggling with and felt ashamed of. It’s not like I wrote the EP and suddenly I was healed… there are still parts that I struggle with but what I realised when writing this EP is that the parts of ourselves that feel ‘dark’ or ‘scary’ aren’t good or bad, they’re just parts of us that we haven’t yet welcomed in a compassionate way. If you flip Shadow of the Gift, it reads Gift of the Shadow, which is how I really view this body of work. You have to enter the nitty gritty to do the real work, but you’ll find more of you at the end of it, and that’s the actual gift of it all.
What do you hope listeners get out of the EP?
I hope it can offer some solace, and that it feels like someone understands. I hope it can help them feel empowered. More than anything, I just hope my music feels like a really good friend.
What kind of personality traits and values do you believe it takes to succeed in the music industry?
I believe genuineness is what grounds you in this industry, and I feel that your authenticity is what will get you to where you want to go. You need to be able to be honest and clear and I don’t think you will ever go wrong with trusting your heart and trusting what feels right for you. I think our world needs us to do that more than ever right now.
How would you describe your music to a potential fan?
Honest, raw, and real.
What are your goals for 2025 and beyond? What can fans expect from you this year?
To release Shadow of the Gift, connect with fans, play heaps and heaps of shows, have more fun making music videos with the crew, and record and release more music!
