Editors are a mischievous lot.*
On his RNZ radio show, Jesse Mulligan had high praise for Change Is a Slow Moving Beast, the new album from Fables. “I think this will be a significant album for New Zealand this year,” he said, live on air.
“I cried when I heard him say it the first time. It felt very big and very golden,” she tells Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
Some editor, however, had even higher praise in mind.
“Later, I saw the quote cut down to ‘This will be a significant album for New Zealand.’ It feels a bit cheeky, so I had a good chuckle when I saw the abridged version!” she says.
Here’s further praise, of the unabridged kind: only a fool would bet against Change Is a Slow Moving Beast being a serious contender in the Best Folk Artist category at next year’s Aotearoa Music Awards.
Fables is Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland singer-songwriter Jess Bailey, who surrounded herself with a Murderers’ Row of Kiwi musical talent — multi-instrumentalist Dave Khan (Marlon Williams, Reb Fountain), drummer Arahi Whaanga (Te Tokotoru, Pony Baby), bassist Cass Basil (Tiny Ruins, King Sweeties), and more — to craft one of the best indie-folk albums of the year so far.
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Bailey’s voice is a wonderful instrument throughout the album: sometimes wistful and weary through pained memories; sometimes stronger, more formidable; always agile. These tracks are confessional and intimate, Bailey processing her experiences and emotions out in the open for everyone to hear.
For the mother of two, Change Is a Slow Moving Beast feels like her third child, such is the level of adoration that permeates everything that she says about the record.
“It makes me feel like crying every time I think about it,” Bailey reveals. “These songs and my experiences were treated with reverence and respect and through the process of recording an album we’ve made a beautiful thing out of some hard times.
“It’s been an absolute privilege to make a body of work where I feel like I haven’t had to compromise on the vision,” she adds. “What I imagined in my head has come to fruition through the combined talents and efforts of my musical whanau; together we’ve made an album that I’m really proud of.”
Perhaps Bailey’s Fables project will receive a similar career boost that came Geneva AM’s way following the release of her garlanded 2025 album Pikipiki. The signs already point to this being the case, with several of her album singles placing on the Hot 20 Aotearoa Singles Chart and the full album making it to No. 2 on the Top 20 Aotearoa Albums Chart.
Further proof: her show at Auckland’s Cupid Bar (more on this place below) this weekend has already sold out. If you missed out on tickets, don’t worry, because you can catch Fables and special guest Milly Tabak at Kumeū Arts Live on July 18th. Tickets are available here.
We caught up with Bailey as part of our Up-And-Coming Aotearoa Artists series to get to know her better. Read below.
Fables’ Change Is a Slow Moving Beast is out now via Home Alone.
*Not me. I’m perfect.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How much did music influence you in your early life?
Fables: I have always had an unquenchable thirst for consuming music. I struggled to read as a kid (shout-out to dyslexia), but I would listen to songs and really absorb the music, especially the lyrics. I sang, auditioned for choirs and productions (to no avail), and danced from a young age (highland dancing, jazz and tap) until I was about 14. I was always too good to be awful but too bad to be good, but I was persistent if nothing else.
I don’t know if it was music I was looking for, rather somewhere to belong. I was always quietly jealous of people who were a part of sports teams. It was music that led me to the people who went on to influence who I am today. I found people through music that reflect the parts of me that I want to be better, and accepted the parts of me that might not have been as appreciated on the track or field.
Credit: Ebony Lamb
What artists influenced you growing up?
Where I grew up was a pretty decent car ride from anywhere, which was predominantly where the music was listened to. My dad would play Kiwi FM (RIP), so I was really lucky to be exposed to a lot of music made here, in Godzone. An exciting byproduct of exposure to local music from a young age is that it doesn’t take much imagination to picture yourself on stage or in the studio. Two degrees of separation still exist in Helensville, so I was able to trade in a “why can’t I?” attitude for one that said “why not?”, thanks to my dad and his musical taste.
My mum, on the other hand, would have Shania Twain’s Up! Live in Chicago (2003) on DVD, and The Corrs on high rotation every single weekend. My sister (Wiri Donna) and I never played music together, but we would take turns thrashing each other on SingStar. Still to this day, I have been known to karaoke the bejesus out of Missy Higgins’ “Scar” and Shannon Noll’s “What About Me”. Despite it all, I still found my way to folk music.
What are some career highlights so far?
Golly, well, I made an album, and pressed it into vinyl (that alone is a highlight, shout-outs to ADHD and my crippling urge to start projects and never finish them). In its first week, we made it to No. 2 on the Aotearoa music charts. I didn’t really think I cared too much about charting at all, but something about being there on that list, knowing it’s from people buying the physical record in a time where streaming is so important, well, it feels somehow a bit rebellious.
Another highlight: [RNZ presenter] Jesse Mulligan said, “I think this will be a significant album for New Zealand this year,” live on RNZ. I cried when I heard him say it the first time. It felt very big and very golden.
Later, I saw the quote cut down to “This will be a significant album for New Zealand.” It feels a bit cheeky, so I had a good chuckle when I saw the abridged version.
Tell us about your latest release.
This album emerged from a place of total devastation. It is very human and intimate, but I hope it’s also vast, expansive, and full of possibilities. In this record, we circle the edges of a breakdown or a breakthrough.
What kind of personality traits and values do you believe it takes to succeed in the music industry?
Oh boy, keep me posted, I guess? I am not qualified to answer this. For any industry or creative pursuit, I think you really need to define what success is for you. It’s going to be different for everyone, and you need different skills, traits, and values for different versions of success.
I know I am successful when I am playful, curious, and brave. I know I need to set my hopes high but maintain low expectations. I want to hold making and performing music very tightly, but also I must remember to send the dang email.
There is a lot that comes down to being in the right place at the right time, but I do genuinely believe that people love to discover good music. The best thing you can do is make the music that you would like to listen to and give yourself the best chance to be discovered. Be present.
How would you describe your music to a potential fan?
Widescreen folk-adjacent songs for driving or lying on the floor. It feels like hot embers that could start a blaze in the right conditions, or simply fly away in the wrong ones.
Where’s your favourite place to play in Aotearoa?
It’s possible I haven’t played there yet! I miss The Wine Cellar, and I miss playing house concerts in my old flat in Morningside. I live in a townhouse now with two kids and two cats, so it’s not great for hosting dinner, let alone a gig. I am still searching for the sense of community that I found in those places. I think some of it is unadulterated nostalgia, and some of that feeling comes from the sense that I am only getting started again now. The closest I have got to that feeling is at Cupid Bar.
Are you looking forward to your Cupid Bar show?
YES! I am kind of obsessed with Cupid Bar. It is homely and cozy and a bit unhinged. This will be our third show there. It’s been interesting to see the audience shift from 90% family and friends to 90% people who have heard the music but never seen us live. There is something really special about that.
What are your goals for 2026 and beyond?
Getting my licence, getting my divorce papers, manifesting bigger shows, and garnering a cult following. I really want to have a song of mine play in a movie, to really earn the widescreen title.
