With a background delivering soul-rich vocals across a spread of genres, Ōtautahi singer-songwriter Lee Martin has earned a reputation as a versatile storytelling artist, with an old soul. The first single ...
READ MORE >Performing as her solo indie project Sylvee, and previously in the duo Bank Land, Sarah Ryland has developed a reputation for dark, sharp-edged electropop. With her third solo EP, ‘Tender,’ the Nelson ...
READ MORE >Winners of the 2026 Aotearoa Children’s Music Awards were announced at the Tuning Fork in Tāmaki Makaurau on Sunday June 28, family act Spellodies leading the way in winning two categories. Featuring Steph Brown and Fen Ikner of the 2012 APRA Silver Scroll-winning act LIPS, and their son Freddy on drums, Spellodies collected the Tūī for Best Children's Music Artist for their album 'If You Can Yell It, Then You Can Spell It'. Ikner also won the Best Children’s Music Video award for Night ...
READ MORE >To The Front Te Papaioea 2026 applications are now open. The 4-day October programme is open to youth aged 12-19 years who are women, intersex, trans, takatāpui, queer and gender diverse. Held in the school holidays from Friday 2 October to Monday 5 October 2026 at The Stomach in Palmerston North, this unique programme fosters confidence and community through the power of music. To The Front offer a sliding scale of payment options, with an allocation of free financial assistance available ...
READ MORE >Organisers of the Going Global 2026 Music Summit have announced the two-day event is returning to Tāmaki Makaurau this August, with an opening speaker lineup of international weight. Presented by Independent Music NZ (IMNZ) in partnership with the NZ Music Commission, the 2026 summit will take place on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 August at Q Theatre in central Auckland. The annual Going Global conference event brings together some of the world's most influential figures in A&R, booking, festival ...
READ MORE >The finalists for the 2026 Pacific Music Awards were announced mid-June at the Mangere Arts Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau. This year 33 artists have been recognised as finalists across 13 categories, highlighting the depth and diversity of Pacific music talent in Aotearoa and across the Moana. Leading the way each with five nominations are Porirua vocal trio A.R.T and PMA frequent flyer, R&B artist /producer Sam V – both acts claiming two awards last year. The double tap of A.R.T's March 2026 ...
READ MORE >Modern progressive metal act Claemus has been shaking rock foundations in and around Wellington for a decade now. There have been some line up adjustments, but Claemus in 2026 is the riff crushing three-piece of Taylor Hemson, Kit Jenkins and Dan Hayston. Spanning the spectrum between rock and metal, Claemus also attract the tag of 'oceanic prog metal', recognising the band's heavy use of synthesisers, guitars and detailed rhythm. Their 2022 single Purge made it into the Hot 20 Aotearoa Singles ...
READ MORE >Not Exact are a young Bay of Plenty band who find their truth in heavy pop punk. With a 2025 EP release that fully embraced the Kiwi DIY attitude behind them, Not Exact have come out swinging in 2026 with two stonking singles, the second of which, Steeplejack, was included on the June NewTracks compilation by NZ On Air Music. Where are you each from, and what instruments do you play? Keelan: Not Exact is Keelan Simpson (vocals and bass guitar), Jack Carpenter (vocals and guitar), Andrew ...
READ MORE >Mainard Larkin, the Auckland artist previously known as rap artist Randa, has re-emerged in 2026 as a self-aware country artist, embracing the full-on embroidered Western shirt and snake boots kind of American country. ‘Rattlesnake Boy’ is the new album released under his given name, a character-based album infused with the same storytelling instincts that made Randa so compelling. Nur Peach talked with him about the music and the persona. For several years up to 2020 Mainard Larkin made waves ...
READ MORE >How did a metal band from Te Papaioea | Palmerston North get a well-known producer from Germany to come and work on their album at all-ages venue/studio The Stomach? Imperial Slave (established by Sam Sheppard from former heavyweight Kiwi acts 8 Foot Sativa and Sinate) have just finished working on their third album with Waldemar Sorychta – who has produced dozens of albums, and played guitar in US metal band Grip Inc., alongside ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. Bing Turkby spent a bit of time ...
READ MORE >The first day of NZ Music Month brought with it the third introductory single from Tāmaki Makaurau singer-songwriter Evie Bamford, a jazzy, uptempo alt pop track titled Company. She describes is her “sort of” attempt at writing a happy song. “I find it a lot easier to turn to a guitar and write in moments of upset as a way to process, so I find that I’m sometimes less creative when I’m doing really well,” Evie laughs. “Writing Company was an active choice against this habit, and ...
READ MORE >After three years of travel on a kind of musical OE, Van Brookes returned home to the Bay of Plenty with plenty of song material - and a new found confidence to pursue his own uniquely-voiced blend of country, folk, blues and rock. Bottom Of The Bottle is his fizzing second single, a classic angry breakup tune about being on different moral paths, and wishing you got out sooner. NZ On Air Music included it on the June NewTracks compilation. What’s your name and where do you hail from? My ...
READ MORE >Playlists are both the convenient digital-era version of lovingly shared mixtapes, and an efficient promotion mechanism for artists – and for the millions compiling them for any variety of other reasons. Still, as simple as playlists can be to compile on one streaming platform, none of us have the time or patience to repeat that process on a second, or third. It’s a problem for both music providers and consumers that now has a genius, user-friendly Kiwi solution – MixMates. Music fan, musician, ...
READ MORE >Auckland Phil will celebrate Matariki 2026 by performing ‘Waiata Anthems’ on Thursday 9 July. In 2019 the album ‘Waiata Anthems’ debuted at No.1 in the NZ Music Charts – the first 100% reo Māori album to do so. Experience the original songs from this iconic multi award-winning album as Auckland Philharmonia and the next generation of up-and-coming young Waiata Anthems’ artists pay tribute to the album that helped start a movement. Jordyn with a Why, MOHI, Geneva AM and Ngā Tapuwae ...
READ MORE >West Auckland organisation The Trusts (Portage Licensing Trust and Waitākere Licensing Trust), are joining in NZ Music Month with The Trusts Live!, five Saturday nights of live music in the intimate wine cellar at Corban Estate Arts Centre, Henderson. With a diverse line-up of local artists across funk, soul, electronic, hip hop, indie and more, The Trusts Live! programme will also shine a light on the emerging artists and sound engineers from Crescendo (the Henderson-based music programme supporting ...
READ MORE >The 2026 Official New Zealand Music Month Summit will be held on Saturday May 2nd, at The Tuning Fork in Parnell, Tāmaki Makaurau. Presented by MMF Aotearoa and the NZ Music Commission with support from other industry organisations, this year's summit centres on the theme of NZ Music Month 2026 ‘Our Sounds, Our Spaces’, celebrating our music and all the places it's made and enjoyed across Aotearoa - live music venues, community halls, schools, libraries, marae, public parks and all ages ...
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