Photo Credit: ICC
With lyrics about hitting and running hard to become a champion, Gin Wigmore’s female empowerment anthem, ‘Girl Gang’, could have been written with the intention of helping to promote a global sports tournament.
It wasn’t – but the Kiwi pop star is pretty darn happy with the way things have worked out, with the song being chosen as the promotional track for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022.
“When you send a song out to the world you never really know what will happen,” says Wigmore, who when not performing goes by the name Virginia Butler.
“You do certainly have hopes for it. I guess I had thought it would make a great theme song for something. So when the ICC called I was like ‘heck yeah, that is so cool’.
“I’m really thrilled. It’s so exciting.”
A seminal track from Wigmore’s fourth album, Ivory, Girl Gang was officially announced as the song of the CWC22 at an event at Mt Maunganui Beach – with Wigmore conquering a long-standing terror of heights to skydive down to the beach with the CWC22 trophy.
A video from this announcement can be accessed here.
“It is legit my biggest fear,” she says. “But given what Girl Gang stands for, I figured I needed to follow through and take care of some bad gal business.”
A punchy, upbeat track, the soundtrack of CWC22 was also the name of an inspiring project Wigmore created to coincide with the release of Ivory.
GIRL GANG brought together five different female artists from non-music disciplines to create a piece of their own artwork based on an assigned single from Ivory. The project spanned eight months, with five new singles dropped monthly. The songs were supported by the five different creations from Gin’s chosen female artists – among them a highly esteemed tattooist, cartoonist and skateboarder.
“You’ve gotta think really laterally on how to release music, and it seemed like something that had a longer life than just an album,” she says.
The essence of GIRL GANG celebrates women coming together to “fight against a society that so often pits us against each other and tears us down”.
As part of her GIRL GANG series, Gin sat down for a stripped-back chat with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, discussing topics such as women having to work harder for success, their pregnancies, motherhood, memorable advice they’ve been given and how to inspire a younger generation that their dreams are possible.
Named New Zealand’s breakthrough artist of the year in 2010 at the New Zealand Music Awards, Wigmore’s debut album Holy Smoke achieved both professional and public acclaim, winning album of the year and also being the country’s highest-selling album that year.
In 2015 Wigmore was named New Zealand’s best female solo vocalist, while she has also been nominated twice for MTV Europe Music Awards.
The mother of two boys admits she is “not all that sporty”. Her memories of cricket are limited to games of beach cricket at the family holiday home in Hahei on New Zealand’s East Coast of the North Island.
“I was kind of the kid who sat over to the side on the bench drawing and writing,” she says.
“So this is actually going to be a really cool journey. I’m really excited about learning all about cricket and the world cup. From what I’ve seen so far these women are amazing athletes.”
Hit hard, cause a scandal
Can’t stop, I’m hard to handle
Don’t care if my halo dips
My rights to this is worth the risk
Run fast, blood of a champion
One chance to make it happen
Don’t care if my halo dips
My rights to this is worth the risk
- Girl Gang, Gin Wigmore
The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 will be held in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3, 2022. It features 31 matches at six venues over 31 action-packed days.
