Single Review: I Am Who I Am

There are some people who come into this world and put the rest of us to shame as to what they achieve, and undoubtedly one of those was Eva McGauley, who at the age of 15 was diagnosed with terminal cancer, to which she succumbed a little more than 3 years later. Eva was involved with the Wellington Rape Crisis Organisation, was an intern with the Green Party, ran her own charity ‘Eva’s Wish’ raising more than $70,000 to help sexual abused survivors, was involved in the ‘200 Women Who will change the way you see the world’ book and exhibition and was nominated for Youth Wellingtonian of the year award, among others. She touched a great many people, one of whom was her cousin Marama Rice, who as Moone has recorded this song as a tribute.

It starts off delicately, with clear vocals, acoustic guitar and some popping keyboard lines, gradually building in depth. We get the line repeated “I am who I am because I’m loved” and the feeling here is one of joy and celebration, not sorrow. Eva had much she wanted to achieve, and did just that, driven by love. There is a guitar break in the middle which takes the song in a very different direction, adding a classic rock element with delicate distortion as the arrangement flows and moves. There is a depth, a feeling of being grounded into the land and up into the stars, with Moone at the heart of everything, allowing the band to swell and shift. At times her vocals are mature and full-bodied, but there are others where there is a naivety within, where they are more delicate, and the result is a song which is a celebration of a life well-lived, and well-loved.