‘Rebound’ is the latest single from Dunedin-via-Manchester rapper Rona Wignall, better known as Arcee.
Directed by Shine On Films’ Jon Wilson, the song tells the story of someone coming out of a long relationship and not knowing what to do or how to act after having your heart broken. Arcee says it’s a sad song with a happy twist.
“Sometimes after someone breaks our heart, we need to have that rebound person to comfort the pain, but also to have as that step with no future as it still hurts to think long term.
“The whole song is about the after effects of a breakup and I think everyone can relate to not knowing where to turn and feeling sorry later for the person caught up in your problems.”
Growing up, it was rap music that had the biggest impact on Arcee, and her initial attraction to the genre came about because of its emphasis on lyrics. She feels that other genres focus mainly on the melody while rap is more about what you have to say.
“As a lil’ kid with a big mouth, this was awesome for me,” she says.
The first album she owned was by D12, the Detroit-based group featuring Eminem, which influenced her to focus on the versatility of her rhymes. Nicki Minaj is also a big inspiration “for how she's pushing the boys out of the way with her blunt, in your face attitude”.
In general though, she feels like rap music has a bad name and she wants to challenge that stereotype.
“It’s such an aggressive genre and compared to others it has recognisably more swearing and glorification of crime and degrading women. I want to prove that women can rap just as hard as men without degrading the opposite or same sex, and that topics in rap can still be hard hitting and aggressive without endorsing crime and hateful activities.”
Her upcoming record, The Arcee LP, has been coming together for the past year and is due out next month. From there she plans on playing a few shows in the UK before returning to New Zealand for a summer tour.
She’ll also be celebrating the album release with a show at Dunedin’s Re:Fuel on August 14. A lot of her songs have a party theme and she says it’s not hard for her to find inspiration from her hometown.
“But believe me, wherever I am, I'll be rapping! And there will always be a story to tell.”
