The biggest children's film in the world right now is a Spongebob movie.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie grossed number one in the US, getting nearly thirteen million views in its first three days on Netflix.
Tami Neilson performs with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Photo: by Doug Peters Ambient Light
Tami Neilson wrote the theme for the movie, as well as two songs sung by the main character, Sandy Cheeks.
She had to get into a particular mindset to write for Sandy, she told RNZ's Nights, when she demoed her songs down the line.
"At first, I was told I sounded too like a school teacher, like I sounded a little too, motherly I guess, because it's literally my kids doing the BVs.
"I guess I just sounded very motherly and school teacherish.
"They're like, that's not the vibe. You have to sound like an unhinged cowgirl. So that was my unhinged cowgirl."
Neilson was proud to be part of an "iconic canon," she said.
"This iconic show that my kids grew up watching. I remember when I was a teenager and kids that I baby-sat we watched Sponge Bob together, it's just kind of crazy, if you told that teenage girl baby-sitting those kids that she was going to be the unhinged cowgirl one day, saying 'are you ready, kids?' I don't think she would have believed you."
More importantly she has scored "cool mum" points.
"When we recorded this, three years ago that we recorded these songs. Animation can take so long. But I was like, primo cool status at that time. It's starting to fade now, but I'm gonna keep pumping it as long as I can."
She didn't find it too difficult to get into the world of Sandy Cheeks when she was writing songs for her, she said.
"Telling her story and being her character when I wrote the song, they said she's a squirrel from North America, and she's from a singing or a travelling family troupe that grew up in a motor home with her unhinged entertainer family, but she followed her heart and moved to the South Pacific.
"And I'm like I am Sandy Cheeks, I am Sandy, we are kindred spirits."
Neilson has a number of other projects on the pipeline, she said - one a particular passion project.
"Last year I was returning back to Willie Nelson's ranch in Texas, a year before we had released our duet together, and I got to perform with him for the first time.
"And so I returned to the scene of the crime, and for a few days my two brothers flew in from Canada, and we went into Willie's personal recording studio on his ranch."
Nelson had a significant birthday coming up, so Neilson wanted to make a gift for him.
"It was coming up to his 90th birthday, and for his birthday, I wanted to record a bunch of my favourite songs of his from his songbook as kind of this gift to him. And I later joked is this like giving you socks? Everybody covers Willie Nelson songs? there just such masterpieces."
Originally a gift to Nelson she also intends to release it independently for her fans, she said. Recording of her latest album has just wrapped at Roundhead Studios due for release in 2025.
