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In 1988, the haunting pop ballad 'Nobody Else' made Rikki Morris an instant pop star.
Nine years later, after his record deal went sour and his debut album went nowhere, Morris turned his back on performing and focused on writing songs for others.
On the new album About Time, he picks up the microphone to lay down some favourites from his award-winning songwriting career.
Rikki Morris: On being an 80s popstar and finding the perfect ballad
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After years spent "honing his songwriting skills" in Sydney and London, Morris was 27 and newly returned home to Auckland when he wrote 'Nobody Else'.
When it went to the top of the Kiwi music charts, he was 28 - "quite old to be a pop star" - but happy to be famous, he says, until that lost its shine.
"I'm actually quite shy and a bit of an introvert. I don't mind talking. I do like to chat, but I'm quite a homebody, you know. I don't really go out much unless I'm working."
In 1997, after Morris was "basically dumped" by his label Mushroom Records and his debut album had failed, he made "a very conscious decision" to step away from the public-facing end of the music business.
"I just thought, that's it. I've had enough. We had two young kids, I needed to earn a living, you know. My wife Debbie Haywood and I set up a studio in Devonport. I ended up taking over the studio right through to about 2006. I kind of went behind the scenes and I'm much more comfortable, to be honest."
For Morris, writing songs has always felt like a "core calling".
"I just love writing ballads. It's my forte, it's my strength. I would love to just write ballads for people. In fact, my whole songwriting life, I've been searching for the perfect ballad, you know. I've been searching for that."
Even if his second solo album may not contain the perfect ballad, Morris is proud to share About Time.
"I don't think I'll ever be 100 per cent happy with anything that I do but I'm pretty bloomin' happy with it. It sounds a bit naff but it is my legacy, to leave some stuff behind. Not that I'm going anywhere but you know what I mean. I sort of felt I needed to do it."
On the new song 'Jane', he pays tribute to his wife Jane who was in the dark until she heard it for the first time.
"She was crying and it was really lovely, perfect. So boy, talk about brownie points."
'The Saddest Sound' - the opening song on About Time - was written by Morris's brother Ian Morris, aka Tex Pistol, who also co-wrote 'Nobody Else'.
The album is dedicated to Ian, who died in 2010 at just 53.
"He was my biggest influence, definitely, as far as music is concerned, and I miss him terribly. There's a little counting at the front of that song and it's actually him counting in the demo that he did. So it's kind of cool. I just love that song because it's so obtuse. It's like, what the heck is going on? It's a very unusual song but I love it."
Back in 1979, Morris was with Ian and his Th' Dudes' bandmate Dave Dobbyn at Sydney's Coogee Bay Hotel when they wrote a "piss-take" drinking song that became an Australasian party anthem - 'Bliss'.
"The Aussies loved it. So when they got back to New Zealand they thought 'Should we do that stupid song?' And they did and now it's like the national anthem. It was a complete piss take, basically. It was initially called 'Piss' but of course, there's no way you can put that on the radio."
Although singing 'Bliss' with Th' Dudes at the Powerstation last week was "amazing", Morris says that after 50 minutes on stage it became clear how "unfit" he was.
"We got off at 10:45 and I was like 'Oh my God'. I went into the band room and said to Jane, my wife, 'I think I better go home'. I don't drink or do any of that anymore so I just said a few hellos and left. I was in bed by midnight."
New Zealand musician Rikki Morris Photo: Supplied
At his five upcoming acoustic shows around New Zealand, Morris's opener will be his 20-year-old daughter Oni Kidman.
The budding singer-songwriter will perform half a dozen of her own songs, he says, and sing backing vocals on a few of her dad's.
"She's got a real gift for songwriting. She just lives for it and she's good at it, you know."
If you don't "have a profile" it's hard for musicians to get people out to live gigs, Morris says, but he's really looking forward to playing to whoever turns up at his September shows.
"Even if there's 10 people in a room I don't actually care. It's like a celebration, it's just a celebration of me finally doing this. That's the bottom line for me."
Rikki Morris with Charlotte Ryan Photo:
Rikki Morris - About Time tour dates:
Saturday 31 August, Room Twenty5, Nelson
Sunday 1 September, The Shelter, Lincoln Christchurch
Friday 6 September, The Jam Factory, Tauranga
Saturday 7 September, Nivara Lounge, Hamilton
Sunday 8 September, 4th Wall Theatre, New Plymouth