Spice Girls, Six60 and seaside resets: Glenn Horsfall’s summer soundtrack
Monday, 2 February 2026
This summer, The Post has been turning up the volume with our Summer Soundtracks series — where artists share the songs and sounds that define the season.
In this edition we talk to Glenn Horsfall, a Wellington-based singer and performer known for his work in musical theatre and cabaret. He is the creator of the award-winning solo show This Wasn’t the Plan and most recently appeared in Mamma Mia! and Amélie. His work blends storytelling, music and a deep love of live performance.
What song instantly takes you back to a summer moment?
Oh, Who Do You Think You Are by the Spice Girls, immediately. I was completely obsessed as a kid and would spend whole Christmas holidays learning the choreography. Years later, when I was living in France, I got to see them in Edinburgh on their UK summer tour, which was honestly surreal. It was missing Posh Spice … but I still count it.
And then Summer Holiday by Cliff Richard and The Shadows. That was always playing in the car on family road trips to places like Hanmer, Kaikōura, or Lake Tekapo. The memory of all of us singing along mixed in with games of I spy, really remains vivid in my mind.
If New Zealand had a summer anthem, what would it be?
I’d say Six60’s Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō / Don’t Forget Your Roots. It’s just such a great song - the bop is very summery - but hearing the te reo Māori version really moved me. I remember coming home from France and feeling a real sense of connection when I heard it. It made me feel proud to be a Kiwi, and the message feels especially timely in the world we’re living in now.
How does the summer season shape your creative process or sound?
I really use summer to reset. When you’re juggling performance work and a creative life, your mind can get pretty full. Summer gives me space to step back and rethink things and make sure I'm doing things that are meaningful and fulfilling.
I always try to get to the sea, Kaikōura especially. Sitting by the water, watching dolphins and seals from the shore, it really calms me and gets ideas moving again. I usually bring my The Artist’s Way book by Julia Cameron, too. It’s when I reconnect with why I do this in the first place.
What’s on your personal summer playlist right now?
It’s a bit all over the place, honestly. I’ve got a song I’m working on for an audition, a lot of Michael Bublé because I’m hoping to put a show together around his music this year, plus anything Kelly Clarkson, Jessie J’s new song H.A.P.P.Y, and RAYE, who I’m loving at the moment. Not surprisingly, musical theatre features quite a lot. The Death Becomes Her and Betty Boop! albums are my most played at the moment. ABBA would normally be there too, but after Mamma Mia! I’m having a short break … temporarily.
Where do you love to play or listen to music during the holidays?
Definitely in the car with my partner (who is usually singing very loudly over the top), and when I’m out walking with my dog, Mary Ellen. Lyall Bay dog beach is my happy place - sand, sea, dog, music. That combination is hard to beat.
What’s one summer gig or musical moment that changed you?
Doing my solo cabaret, This Wasn’t the Plan in the NZ Fringe Festival last summer really changed me. I’d heard for years that your own story is enough, that just being yourself is powerful, but actually doing it made that real.
The courage to do the show really came out of spending time with friends over summer, just hanging out, talking, encouraging each other to actually make things instead of just talking about them. We still do it now. We call ourselves the Triple Ts, which is a very generous play on triple threats, because we absolutely aren’t. There’s usually a drink involved, sometimes sunshine, but usually we are inside because, hey, it’s Wellington.
That experience shifted how I think about performing and how I live day-to-day. Less about putting something on, more about trust, honesty, and letting people in.