Independent Music NZ (IMNZ) has announced the 10 finalists for the 2026 Taite Music Prize, along with news that the annual celebration of independent album-making excellence will a public presentation, ...
READ MORE >Ōtautahi duo Dillastrate are known for their uplifting live shows and music traversing electronic genres, soul, pop, hip hop and more, taking audiences into dance-fuelled celebrations. Having built a ...
READ MORE >A giant Tōtara has fallen. Phantom Billstickers is deeply saddened to share the news that the business's founder Jim Wilson has passed away. He gave the Dance Exponents their first real run, plastered Split Enz across walls before they were household names, booked The Clean, The Verlaines, The Androids, and made sure theunderdogs got stage time. He turned The Gladstone in Christchurch into a crucible of Kiwi sound, a beer-soaked temple of energy. Long before there were charts or funding bodies ...
READ MORE >A new scholarship initiative is being offered by the Hawke’s Bay Music Hub to help musicians from the Hawke’s Bay region gain the skills needed to record and produce their own music. The Backline Charitable Trust (operating as Hawke’s Bay Music Hub) plans to award three scholarships each year, valued at $2,000 each, giving performers and singer-songwriters the opportunity to build practical skills, develop their sound, and release professionally recorded music. This scholarship programme ...
READ MORE >APRA AMCOS Aotearoa have announced that the 2026 Aotearoa Children’s Music Awards | Ngā Manu Tīrairaka entries are open, with the awards event scheduled to take place on Sunday June 28, at The Tuning Fork in Tāmaki Makaurau. The awards include presentations for the Recorded Music NZ Best Children's Artist award, the APRA Best Children’s Song award and the NZ On Air Best Children’s Music Video award. Entries for each of these awards will close at 5pm, Monday 16 March. There is also ...
READ MORE >In mid-February the NZ Music Commission announced the Outward Sound 2026 Round 1 grant recipients. Outward Sound provides assistance for market development initiatives, encouraging and supporting the entry of New Zealand music and musicians into global markets. There were 19 international music market development grant recipients this round: 9lives for a UK/European tour supporting Lancey Foux Southeast for Australian business meetings in support of roster EDY for a writing and producing ...
READ MORE >Filipino-born indie pop/soul artist Natassja Kelly blends warm soul influences with the dreamy textures of bedroom pop. Witness her latest single Something That Feels Real and its accompanying music video, for which she received New Music Pan-Asian funding in June last year. NZ On Air Music also included the mood-up slow groove on their February NewTracks compilation. What’s your given name? Your pronouns? Where were you born and where do you live currently? Kia ora / Kamusta! My full name ...
READ MORE >The Albert Street social media descriptor is about as succinct as it gets for a band; “4 lads from Hams, NZ. We make music, and we love it.” With a release history that dates back to 2020 when in their early teens, the Kirikiriroa indie rock act prefer to let their songwriting do the talking, and in 2026 are coming off a release hiatus, with an album scheduled for later in the year. Front Porch is the first taste of that long player and the free-swinging single was included on NZ On Air Music’s February NewTracks compilation. Who ...
READ MORE >By profession a junior doctor in Tāmaki Makaurau, navigating hospital corridors and clinical decisions – by passion Liv Beckett is an alt-pop artist, blending neo-soul with R&B, who has announced herself with a crafted seven-song debut EP called ‘Let Go’, released mid-February 2026. Developing the compositions with producer/musician/vocalist Baz Suamili (Seva Hifi) Beckett found inspiration from the likes of Olivia Dean, Billie Eilish and Kimbra. The result is a slick, smooth-paced ...
READ MORE >Bic Runga may have spent time away from the stage spotlight, but she needs no introduction. Songs like Drive, Sway and Listening for the Weather are part of our collective consciousness, solidifying her as one of New Zealand’s most iconic artists and songwriters. Runga’s 2026 comeback album ‘Red Sunset’ sees her experimenting with synth sounds, while not forsaking her international career-defining acoustic roots. Nur Peach talked with her about the album’s genesis. When NZ Musician ...
READ MORE >Jet-propelled with a simple TikTok/Insta clip that gives a glance behind the studio curtain at her vocal recording process, Echo by Talia Perese has raced towards a million Spotify plays since its release in May. It’s just one of the eight 2025 singles that have since been rolled up into the 20-year old RnB artist’s self-titled EP, which dropped mid-November. From Manurewa in south Auckland, Talia grew up in a musical household, and credits her dad Richard and older sister Enya with coaching ...
READ MORE >Yumi Zouma are in promotion mode for their January 2026 LP, ‘No Love Lost to Kindness’, the alt rock act’s fifth album, and ninth release overall. Yumi Zouma have been in existence for over a decade and are famously transcontinental, with members now settled in different places across the globe, something that impacts their connection and often reflects in the band’s work. Amanda Mills talked with Christie Simpson and Josh Burgess, about new directions and shifting perspectives. After ...
READ MORE >Still only in relatively early stages of their career, the quirky and vivid world of Club Ruby makes them one of the most eye-catching up and comers in today’s NZ music scene. Having recently secured their first charting single with the sassy, explosive earworm Heartbreak Overtime, the Auckland five-piece have released their second EP, a pop-punk moment of girl power energy entitled ‘Don’t Gaslight Me!’ Nur Peach investigates. Fronted by the huge, effervescent personality of Jade Lewis, ...
READ MORE >Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and musician Gregory Alan Isakov returns for two NZ gigs this February, ahead of the Australian leg of his ‘Appaloosa Bones’ tour – which has already sold out in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Performing in an intimate acoustic format the theatre shows will offer audiences a special opportunity to experience stripped-down acoustic arrangements of favourites from Isakov’s studio albums; ‘Appaloosa Bones’, ‘Evening Machines’, ‘The ...
READ MORE >Eclectic local electronic music artists MxDicey, Talmar and Vanessa Tottle are touring the country in March (and the last day of February) as the energising force Soundscape Sirens. Their 2026 four-date NZ tour promises to bring even more deeper, sonic soundscapes from this trio of Kiwi beat makers. Together with local support acts the three artists are planning on leaving you wanting more, clutching your chest as the 808s and synth waves wash over you - taking you out to sea. Heed the Sirens’ call! Step ...
READ MORE >Party Of Special Things To Do is a community focused adventurous music festival occurring in Ōtautahi most years since 2017. This year’s concerts will take place on February 7 and 8, two days of adventurous music and deep listening including a deep listening wananga, led by Mahina Kingi-Kaui. The festival brings together local and international artists from diverse disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The 2026 programme will feature some artists encountering each other in performance for the ...
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