Singer Kimbra Teams up with Wrangler
New Zealand Grammy award-winning recording artist Kimbra is already taking the music world by storm, but she’s also dabbling in the fashion world teaming up with Wrangler. Marie Claire UK caught up with her…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Crowded House Play to Adoring Fans in Sydney
“The decision as to when to call time on a band must be a truly wretched one,” Alexandra Spring writes for the Guardian. “, Crowded House returned to the place where they called…
NZ Folk Singer Who’ll Put A Spell On You
“New Zealand’s Aldous Harding –who was recently recommended by Charlotte Church in the Guardian” is “a folk artist whose performances strike that rare balance between fragility and full-blown possession,” writes Kate Hutchinson in an…
Violinist Benjamin Baker Wins NY Music Prize
Violinist Benjamin Baker, 26, has been named one of four first prizewinners at the 2016 Young Concert Artists (YCA) International Auditions in New York. The four artists were selected from a pool of nearly 200…
NZ String Quartet Communicate a Culture
If you were to listen to the New Zealand String Quartet (NZSQ) with your eyes closed, could you tell that they were from halfway around the world? The Hamilton Spectator classical music writer Leonard Turnevicius…
Connan Mockasin’s Soft Hair Swampy Psychedelia
Connan Mockasin “a recluse from New Zealand” and Sam Eastgate of UK band Late of the Pier have teamed up to form Soft Hair, “a reverie of swampy psychedelia”, writes NME journalist Ben Homewood in a…
What Sets Conductor Holly Mathieson Apart
Several factors set Holly Mathieson apart, according to the Herald Scotland. Mathieson, 35, who has just made her debut as assistant conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, comes from the Antipodes, for starters,…
Holly Mathieson Conducts Illinois Philharmonic
New Zealand-born Holly Mathieson, who has been named assistant conductor for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, was at the helm of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) for a recent concert at Governors State University…
The Naked and Famous Match Sound to Vision
The New Zealand-born, Los Angeles-based group The Naked and Famous are pairing a striking visual story with their new album Simple Forms, which was released this month via their own label Somewhat Damaged. Each of…
Musician Roy Montgomery Returns to the Fold
Following a decade long hiatus, Christchurch-based musician Roy Montgomery is about to release a new album – a four LP box set titled RMHQ. Featured in the latest issue of The Wire, Montgomery explains…
Lawrence Arabia’s Breezy Absolute Truth
Included in a roundup of the best Australian LPs that might have passed you by in the past months, (the Guardian includes a caveat) is Christchurch-born Lawrence Arabia’s latest, Absolute Truth. “The lyrics of musician
Thomston Making Unashamed Pop Music
There’s a tendency for males making pop with any sort of prefix to skew themselves towards less mainstream channels. That’s exactly why 20-year-old New Zealander Thomston could be the next best popstar, according to…
Flying Nun History with Pictures
Following a review of founder Roger Shepherd’s memoir In Love With These Times: My Life With Flying Nun Records, Wire magazine has published the stories behind some of the photographs included in the book. The…
Shifting Sands take Gorgeous Guitar Pop to US
Dunedin psychedelic pop trio The Shifting Sands were encouraged to tour the United States by a big fan, American singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten. Etten said: “I fell in love with The Shifting Sands music a…
Why 2016’s Exciting New Americana is Antipodean
New Zealanders Nadia Reid and Marlon Williams are part of “a bold young Oceanic Americana cohort” according to the Guardian’s Laura Snapes. A new wave of young New Zealand and Australian-based artists are giving Nashville’s…
Kimbra’s New Single Sweet Relief Praised
New Zealand pop singer Kimbra, 26, has released a new single, the first since the release of her sophomore album The Golden Echo in 2013. “Sweet Relief” is “bloody excellent,” according to online music…
Carrie Beehan Premieres “Ass In The Middle”
“An artist in the truest sense of the word, Carrie Beehan is now gearing up to unveil her latest sonic self and narrative,” as reported in article in GroundSounds. The New Zealander…
Fis Creating Eco-Conscious Electronics
“Before I was producing music electronically I was a drummer, and I really loved just trying to stop thinking and just play rhythm,” New Zealand-born producer Oliver Peryman aka Fis tells The…
Flying Nun History Recounted by Roger Shepherd
“We forget, or don’t know, or don’t think about it – how difficult it used to be to release records if you weren’t signed to a major label, pre-digital download, pre-social media, pre-internet, never…
The Naked and Famous Lay Low
“All The Naked And Famous do is deliver hits,” according to Boston-based online music magazine, Vanyaland. “The New Zealand-, Los Angeles-based electronic pop group first crashed our playlists with 2010’s incredible Passive Me, Aggressive…
Marlon Williams Celebrates Where He’s From
Marlon Williams’ renown started spreading outside of New Zealand in 2015 when the highly renowned Bloomington, Ind./Austin-based label Dead Oceans released his excellent, self-titled solo debut, Justin Joffe reports for the Observer. Williams, 25,…
Mikey McCleary Subtly Redefining Bollywood Music
Mumbai-based New Zealand composer and producer Mikey McCleary, 47, has been steadily changing the face of Bollywood soundtracks since he moved to India in 2007. His latest movie project is Aditya Chopra’s upcoming film, Befikre…
Crowded House to Be Inducted into ARIA Hall of Fame
Cherished rock-folk group Crowded House will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame during the ARIA Awards in Sydney on 23 November. Crowded House’s induction has a touch of serendipity about it. This year,…
Producer Joel Little Teams up with Ruth B in LA
Lorde’s former producer, Grammy-award winning New Zealander Joel Little, 33, is now working with Canadian singer-songwriter Ruth B on her first LP, Vine. Little became intrigued with Ruth when a friend sent a demo of…
Conductor Gemma New Makes Music Holistic
The newest classical music rising star, New Zealander Gemma New’s reputation continues to ascend internationally. New takes up the resident conductor role at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) on 6 September. New’s duties include…
Future Soul Singer Wallace Looks Ahead
When it comes to jazz and soul in Australia, few are on the same level as future soul singer Wellington-born Wallace Gollan, aka Wallace onstage. With her smooth and dusty tone reminiscent of the…
NZ Musicians To Pay Homage To Bob Marley
Reggae music has always found favour in the music market of New Zealand, and 35 years after the death of reggae star Bob Marley the country continues to pay homage to the man and…
Obama Picks Gin Wigmore for Summer Playlist
New Zealand musician Gin Wigmore’s “Man Like That” has made President Barack Obama’s “hand-selected” summer playlist, alongside classics from Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis and Prince, and more recent artists Common, Jay Z and Wale. The…
Parris Goebel Gets the Planet on the Dance Floor
World-famous choreographer Parris Goebel, 24, is making her own music now, because she can. ELLE magazine goes behind-the-scenes on the Auckland set of her new music video, “Friday.” You’ve definitely seen her in…
Adventures in Pianoland a Sister Act
Greymouth-born sisters, composer and songwriter Jan Preston (pictured), 65, and writer and director Gaylene Preston, 69, have combined talents to collaborate on their first stage show, Adventures in Pianoland, which is on at The…
Fat Freddy’s Drop Chat Ahead of BoomTown
Internationally regarded as one of the world’s finest live draws, seven-piece band Fat Freddy’s Drop has a sound that has developed over the years, TNT Magazine reports ahead of the group’s show on the…
Aaradhna: Brown Girl Review
Sometimes you hear a song and “you feel the passion, dance the groove and, for a split second, the world makes glorious sense. Affirmation, validation; that’s all many of us are seeking.” Among “the…
MAALA Rolls out Debut Album Composure
The past few years has seen Aucklander Evan Sinton, better known as MAALA, transform from New Zealand’s Got Talent star to brooding, mysterious electronic artist. With his debut album, Composure just out, Rolling Stone…
Singer Mukuka Musowa Keeping Her Roots Close
Hamilton singer-songwriter Mukuka Musowa, 22, talks to Zambia’s Lusaka Times about her latest single “Just Fine”, her musical inspirations, and New Zealand television show Both Worlds, in which she features. Musowa, who was…
Broods Video Brings Technology to Next Level
New Zealand indie electropop duo Broods incorporates technology in an unexpected and intimate way, with its enthralling new music video for the latest single, “Heartlines,” off their sophomore album, Conscious, according to Entertainment Tonight. In…
Ladyhawke’s Favourite Top Five Albums
Despite Ladyhawke’s busy schedule, the New Zealand musician talked to ELLE.com about the albums that have changed her life and turned her into the synth-pop maestro she is today. Ladyhawke, aka Pip Brown, has already…
The Dead C’s Latest Trouble Strangely Beautiful
New Zealand band The Dead C’s latest album Trouble, which is out on 12 August, is reviewed by Mike Barnes for The Wire magazine, who describes the trio’s new work as “strangely beautiful and…
Yeongrak Online in Search of Scuzzy Beats
With the Christchurch earthquake wiping out all of Yeongrak’s previous hangouts, he took refuge in his bedroom, where he withdrew from regular socialising and immersed himself into the dark, distant corners of the internet….
Flight of the Conchords Aimless and That’s Okay
There was a time, about 10 years ago, when this unassuming pair seemed to have it all figured out in their own quiet way. The Flight of the Conchords had a well-received HBO series…
Québec Music Fans Enjoy Neil Finn’s Summer Set
Neil Finn performed at the recent Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ) playing a mixture of Split Enz and Crowded House favourites, as well as some of his own tracks, “in smooth style” according to…
Getting to Know Thomston
Auckland-based musician Thomas Stoneman, aka Thomston, 20, is gearing up to release his highly anticipated debut album, which is “shaping up to be a really interesting, emotive release”, according to Australian entertainment site Howls…
How Flight of the Conchords Outlasted the Hipster
“Despite breaking out at a specific cultural moment – an era during which America, at any rate, was seething with ironic hauteur and fetishised authenticity – penchant for loving…
Te Reo Hit Topples Justin Timberlake
Pop tune Maimoatia, sung entirely in Te reo and released for Maori Language Week, shot straight to the top of the iTunes chart in New Zealand, knocking Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling from…
Yumi Zouma on Album Release Tour in US
New Zealand band, Yumi Zouma, performed recently in McAllen, Texas as part of a US tour promoting their latest album Yoncalla. “Even though it’s our third release, this is the first full-length release we’ve done,…
Broods “I Think We’ve Become More Determined”
New Zealand duo Georgia and Caleb Nott, known as Broods, are back with “a more defiant record Conscious”, which is “concise, somewhat introverted and, thematically, very closely interlinked,” writes Alim Kheraj in an article…
Conchords Kick Off US Tour on High Note
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie have begun their highly anticipated Flight of the Conchords Sing Flight of the Conchords Tour in the United States with a sold-out gig in Cleveland. “The duo kicked off their…
Ladyhawke Back with Vibrantly Glam Wild Things
“In 2016, when pop has never sounded moodier or more austere, Ladyhawke an unabashed explosion of colour and…
SLSO Appoints Gemma New As Resident Conductor
“The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has announced the appointment of resident conductor Gemma New, originally of New Zealand,” as reported in an article on St. Louis Post-Dispatch. New stands “out as a musician…
Connan Mockasin Joins Big Lineup at Meltdown
New Zealand musician Connan Mockasin joins Elbow frontman Guy Garvey’s Meltdown festival – in a lineup which includes Femi Kuti, Laura Marling and Howe Gelb – playing at the Royal Festival Hall on 15…
Marlon Williams: Americana Doesn’t Belong Just to America
“If you don’t know you’re listening to a 25-year-old New Zealander, you might think you’re listening to an old recording of a crooner from the American Midwest,” writes Kierran Petersen for PRI. “The…
Singer Tiny Ruins Earning Noted Admirers
Since alternative-folk singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook’s debut as Tiny Ruins in 2010 with the Little Notes EP, the Aucklander has forged both an identifiable sound and a career built on faithful and growing followings in…
From Koi Boys to Rat Pack
“Practising their Rat Pack posing, as well as their swingin’ harmonies is all part of the preparation for The Voice favourites the Koi Boys” – New Zealand-born trio Kevin Keepa, Danny Faifai and Nuz…
Ten Things You Never Knew About Ladyhawke
Synth-pop singer Pip Brown, aka New Zealand-born Ladyhawke, tells Spin magazine about her love of sci-fi, UFOs, and Disneyland. Turns out Brown – who will release her third record, Wild Things, on 3 June has…
Moody Electropoppers Broods Virtually Famous
As Broods, brother and sister Caleb and Georgia Nott were initially known for who they know, now they’re stepping out on their own with their music, London’s Evening Standard reports. “They share a producer, Joel…
Bianca Andrew Wins London Song Prize
Wellington-born mezzo-soprano Bianca Andrew, 26, has won the Ferrier Loveday Song Prize for her performance of Hugo Alfvén’s “Skogen sover” and Hugo Wolf’s “Nimmersatte Liebe”. According to the Independent’s Michael Church, who attended the…
Violinist Amalia Hall Wins Young Artists Comp
Auckland violinist Amalia Hall, 27, has won the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition, taking both the string section and the overall award. Hall received cash prizes of £2500, and concert opportunities with the…
