Artist

Six60 beat Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber for NZ’s most streamed artist

For a second year in a row, Six60 is NZ's most streamed artist on Spotify.

Meet the artist behind our Te Wiki o te Reo Māori images: Pounamu Wharekawa

Re: commissioned artist Pounamu Wharekawa to create images for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

My morning with an illustrator, ceramicist and fashion designer

A morning routine is like a ritual we practice every day.

“She’s sexy, playful, feral, and free” - Lorde’s back with new music...

It may be winter here in Aotearoa, but today, it’s a hot Lorde summer.

The Collective: The gig | Ep 8

Plans come crashing down when they realise they haven’t sold enough tickets for the gig. Will the rangatahi lose their trust in the mentors, after a…

The Collective: The downfall | Ep 7

Plans come crashing down when they realise they haven’t sold enough tickets for the gig. Will the rangatahi lose their trust in the mentors, after a…

The Collective: My body is mine | Ep 6

MC Tali takes a trip to the hood to school Trey and Jay in freestyle. With the help of Emma Dilemma, Iris has a breakthrough, while…

The Collective: The hood | Ep 5

Trey and Jay find new ways of rapping about hood life, no longer glorifying street pain? Laughton from Kora has the tools to help Mahima uncover…

The Collective: Our demons | Ep 4

Mataio explores the dark side of the music industry with hip hop duo No Comply. Iris reveals how her traumatic past has stolen her voice. Can…

The Collective: Pockets of gold | Ep 3

Hip hop legend Melodownz shares his top writing tips and things get real when they visit the gig venue. Amelia experiments with her musical identity to…

The Collective: Pressure makes diamonds | Ep 2

Tensions are high as it dawns on them just how much is involved in pulling off the gig. Mahima reveals the true depth of his emotional…

The Collective: The announcement | Ep 1

Marcus Powell from Blindspott grathers Crescendo Trust’s most promising emerging artists and offers them the biggest opportunity of their lives. Will they overcome their demons to…

Our favourite music by NZ artists in 2020

A list of our favourite songs by artists in Aotearoa in 2020.

How to make a beat with SWIDT producer Smokeygotbeatz

Whether it's some snare drums or a packet of Yum Yum noodles, SWIDT producer Smokeygotbeatz knows how to use sounds to create a bouncy, catchy beat.…

Sound Check: HIGH HØØPS on how NZ music can emerge stronger from Covid

The music industry is suffering, but it might emerge from this pandemic stronger than before.

Sound Check: Randa rejects the productivity myth

And they talk gender identity, and dealing with OCD before and during Covid.

Sound Check: Indie-pop duo Imugi 이무기

Yery and Carl tell us how they're looking after themselves as the music industry slows down.

Melodownz turned self-affirmations into a catchy hook

During a rough time in his life, Melodownz repeated positive affirmations to himself in the mirror. Then he realised the mantras made a pretty sweet hook.…

5 things we learnt about JessB in our IG live chat

It's NZ Music Month and we're having lunchtime chats on the gram with NZ artists! First up, we talk durags from AliExpress and being creative during…

International comic book artist Michel Mulipola is a mean wrestler in his spare time

Michel Mulipola is a comic book artist and a wrestler, AKA Liger, the Smash Mouth Samoan. And that combo gives him a pretty unique perspective...

A cartoon about Samoa with love

"As a Samoan, I feel what happens to other Samoans." Comic artist Michel Mulipola talks about the illustration he's created to process the Samoan measles epidemic.

Illustrator Ruby Jones on Going Viral and the Power of Drawing Kindness

After the Christchurch terror attacks, Ruby Jones illustrated two people hugging with the words, "This is your home and you should have been safe here." The…

Michel Mulipola is the 'Bloody Samoan' comic book artist

Michel Mulipola is the 'Bloody Samoan'. It's a derogatory term he heard a lot growing up, but he's now reappropriated it as a moniker in his…

Re:hearsal Room: Bobandii

Bobandii can only cry when he's making music - and he thinks maybe that's why he's a musician. He talks self-exploration, putting out music as a…

Reclamation: being brown, femme and proud

'Reclamation' is about unapologetically taking up space - physically, ideologically, spiritually. We went backstage at the show by FAF SWAG to talk to performers and crew…

Kiwi songwriter reflects on writing Genie in a Bottle

Pam Sheyne is a New Zealand songwriter who co-wrote Christina Aguilera's debut hit 'Genie in a Bottle' - a song about finding someone who can "unlock…

School of Beatbox

When she was in high school, Hope saw Ladi6 beatboxing and that was it for her; "that signed and sealed it." Hope knew she was going…