Like so many other countries throughout the world, New Zealand’s pop charts tend to be dominated by British and American artists. But over the past few weeks, a young Kiwi has been making a major impact. In fact, her debut single has made it right to the top of the New Zealand artist division and has also been chosen as the most popular pop tune on NZ iTunes. The tune is ‘You’ll Never Take That Away’, and it’s by 19-year-old Jamie McDell, a university student in Auckland, who has been likened to Taylor Swift.
Jamie grew up by the sea, which she says is a major inspiration. Her very first song which she wrote at the age of 7, was about dolphins. Influenced by John Denver, Jimmy Buffet and New Zealand’s own Brooke Fraser, she taught herself the guitar at the age of 15, and a year later was attracting the attention of NZ EMI. While continuing her studies at school, she began uploading videos of her own music and covers on to Youtube through which she gradually developed a fan base. Jamie says she was surprised at how successful her debut single was because she meant it to be a fun, introductory kind of song. She’s now working on her second single, ‘Rewind’ which she says has much more depth and explores a wide range of emotions. The acoustic version is included in her first EP which was released earlier this month.

Back in 1991, the UK group Jesus Jones came out with a song inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall. Titled ‘Right Here, Right Now’, it became an international hit, and in Japan it became quite familiar with people who weren’t into rock, because of its use as the theme song on several news programs.
In 2010, the Feelers recorded a cover of this song, which was subsequently adopted as the campaign song for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Apparently, this stirred up a bit of controversy—why have a great Kiwi band record the cover of a UK hi? Why not have them or some other local band sing local music? After all, New Zealand is the host country. But the use of an internationally recognized song proved to be very effective in selling tickets, and after the All Blacks won the Cup, people started talking about the Feelers rendition of the song spurred them on.
The song was included in the Feelers’ latest album ‘Hope Nature Forgives’,their first in five years. The album was recorded by the new lineup featuring James Reid and Hamish Gee and two new members, guitarist Andy Lynch and bassist Matt Short. Together they selected 13 tracks from over 50 great tunes.Starting off with the first single ‘Blue Skies’, the result is an album that you’ll want to play over and over again.

One reason why The Feelers remain one of the most popular bands in New Zealand has a lot to do with lead vocalist/ guitarist James Reid’s amazing song-writing talents. The combination of exquisite melodies and lyrics that tell a story is hard to beat, which is why many of their hits have a very long life. One example is their single ‘Stand Up’, which was included in their 2003 hit album ‘Playground Battle’. Although it only went to No.17 on the charts that year, in 2006 it was recognized as the Most Performed Work in New Zealand at the New Zealand Music Awards.
This and the fact that the lyrics are so stirring was probably why it was featured as the campaign song for the New Zealand National Party during the 2011 General Election. The Feelers were criticized for allowing their song to be used in such a way, but Reid clarified to the media that their decision was strictly business-based and did not indicate any support on their side for the National Party or for its leader, John Key.
In 2010, the Australian based Maori vocalist Stan Walker recorded a cover of the song for New Zealand’s campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. New Zealand is better known for its national rugby union, the All Blacks. But its soccer team is pretty impressive too and is known as the All Whites.

Ever since their debut in 1998, the Feelers have continued to release one hit album after the other, receiving more airplay than any other Kiwi artist.
Lead vocalist and guitarist, James Reid and drummer Hamish Gee were elementary school buddies and after meeting up with bassist Matthew Thomas, they began performing in their hometown, Christchurch. It wasn’t long before they developed a large fan base and based upon their reputation and Reid’s song writing talents, they signed with Warner Music New Zealand. In 1998, they came out with their debut album ‘Supersystem’, which soared to the top of the album charts, winning the Feelers ‘Best Album’, ‘Best Group’ and ‘Best Producer’ award at the New Zealand Music Awards. Although he failed to win, Reid was nominated for ‘Best Male Vocalist’ and their hit song ‘Venus’ was also nominated for ‘Best Song of the Year’.
In addition to ‘Venus’ which went on to become one of the most beloved Kiwi songs of all time, the album also spawned the megahits ‘Pressure Man’ and ‘Supersystem’, cementing the Feelers reputation overseas as one of the greatest bands to come out of New Zealand since the Split Enz and Crowded House.
While touring extensively throughout the world, the Feelers began preparing for their second album which was released in 2001 under the title ‘Communicate’. Although it wasn’t as successful as their debut release, it went to No.1 and included one of band’s biggest hits, ‘As Good As It Gets’ and the exquisite ‘Fishing For Lisa’.

This year, on New Year’s Day, NZ Herald did a feature on New Zealand’s 12 brightest young stars. The only musician who made it into the pick was 24-year-old Lydia Cole. Like many young musicians, Lydia loved music from an early age, but she was very shy. In high school, however, she summed up her courage and entered a music competition and won the Most Promising Performer award. She decided then and there to quit school and began performing backup for various artists, applying for and receiving a couple of music grants from NZ On Air. Her hard work paid off, and in 2008 she came out with an EP titled ‘Love Will Find A Way’. Recorded at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios, with the Kiwi legend playing the keyboards, the single ‘Feels Like’ made it to No.5 on the charts.
In 2010, Lydia got to open for Grammy-award winning Canadian jazz vocalist Diana Krall during her February NZ tour. Since then Lydia has joined Brooke Fraser, Midnight Tour and other well-known artists on tour. In 2011, she decided to quit her daytime job as a girl Friday to concentrate on her first album which she released in January this year. Her experience both on and off stage is reflected in the simple but heart-achingly beautiful album ‘Moon and Me’, which showcases her charming voice. The single ‘Blind Boy’ is moving steadily up the charts.

Barely into her 30’s, Sarah Brown is a seasoned veteran who’s been singing in public since the age of 3. The third daughter of a musical family who performed regularly at local events, Sarah’s perfect pitch and tone caught the attention of her mother, a professional singer, who encouraged her daughter to pursue her love for music. After finishing primary school, Sarah was home schooled, with practically every subject linked in some way to music. When she was 12, she recorded her first demo and began writing her own music at the age of 14. By the age of 17, she was playing at local events, seizing every possible opportunity to sing for an audience. In 2001 she competed and won The Ovation Rockshop Songwriter of the Year, and continued to gig around New Zealand. In 2005 she recorded her self-titled debut album ‘Sarah Brown’ and won the music TV video award for her single ‘Hands’ which shows her as a marionette.
Her second album, due for release in May, was written over several years, beginning in the summer of 2007 during which she isolated herself on a small island accessible only by boat. This was followed by several months traveling in Europe, which provided her with further ideas. Sarah recorded the resulting 25 songs which eventually made their way into her new album ‘The Great Heart Robberies’. One of the reasons it’s taken her so long to get it out was that she got married and became a mom. To be able to pursue her music at her own pace, she set up her own label and is making her music available mainly through downloads. She’s abandoned her original ‘Mariah Carey’ style of singing and is aiming for a more intimate style that makes the most of her sultry voice. As the title suggests, ‘Great Heart Robberies’ is a collection of songs that deal with love in one way or another. A delightful blend of blues, pop and country.

The Babysitters Circus is a fairly new quartet, but most of the members are among New Zealand’s most famous. They include Jason Kerrison, the leader of Opshop and a winner of the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll Award, Jamie Greenslade, better known as solo hip-hop artist Maitreya, Tim Skedden, a founding member of both Opshop and The Feelers, which will soon be featured on Curly Music, and Selwyn Leaf, the only newcomer in the group but a natural entertainer who is not to be outdone by the veterans.
The four came together while babysitting for a friend. In order to pass the time, they began throwing sounds and ideas together and had so much fun that they decided they should give everyone a chance to dance along to their catchy tunes that are a mixture of electronica, bass and funk and groove. After their first single, Aliens to Deal With, they came out with a Top 40 hit titled ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’, a song that represents the infectious, danceable music they’re aiming for.

When you’ve broken up with your boyfriend/girlfriend or have a crush on someone who doesn’t even know you exist, you tend to feel much better after having a good cry, surrounded by friends with whom you can share your innermost secrets. That’s the kind of warm-hearted atmosphere generated by ‘Happy Heartbreak’, the debut album of the Sami Sisters featuring a collection of uplifting songs that deal with heartbreak from various angles.
The Indian-Irish sisters grew up listening to all kinds of music and began singing in musicals and jazz bands in their earlyteens. But it was only Angie, the middle sister who went on to become a singer-songwriter.
Madeleine, the eldest, is an award-winning actress who has her own TV comedy show. Angie released an EP titled ‘El Dorado’ in 2006 that won a prestigious bNet award. The youngest, Priya, came up with a catchy pop song about a girl who has a crush on the Strokes front man Julian Casablancas, which became an unexpected radio hit. But instead of turning pro, she ended up becoming a music teacher.
So how did the three become the Sami Sisters? Although they’re the best of friends, they never intended to become a family band. But in 2007, they found themselves in Australia at the same time, and joined Angie on stage during one of her gigs. It was such an enjoyable experience for both themselves and the audience that they decided to do it again whenever possible. Gradually, they developed a name for themselves and were encouraged to record an album. It took them several years to come up with enough songs and funding, but the result was worth it. The majority of the songs were written by Madeleine, but they take turns singing the lead, with the other two providing backup in the style of the Crystals or Shangri-Las. Happy Heartbreak is an album that’ll make you feel good, even after ending a relationship.

Thanks to the spread of Youtube, up and coming artists are able to promote their music worldwide without having to spend that much money. The most viewed Kiwi artist ever is Mt. Eden, with a total of over 70 million plays. Former apprentice carpenter Jessie Cooper and Harley Rayner, the son of Split Enz keyboardist Ernie Rayner, met in their early teens and began experimenting with mixing songs. They eventually moved on to dub and began uploading the results onto Youtube in 2009. Their breakthrough came with Sierra Leone, a remix of the song ‘I’d Like’ by the South African group Freshly Ground. In no time at all, Sierra Leone received 5 million views. This was followed by the success of other remixes including Swedish singer-songwriter Lisa Miskovsky’s Still Alive.
One of the characteristics of Mt. Eden’s music is that although it falls in the category of dubstep, it’s quite melodic and relaxing which is why it appeals to people who aren’t particularly fond of what they think of as being typical of dubstep—mechanical and repetitive.
Initially, they were churning out remixes only. But now, they’ve become more involved in writing and producing their own songs. Last year, they released their first EP, Meds. One of the tracks features the 2010 winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, up-and-coming Kiwi songstress Ruby Frost.
Mt. Eden have developed a strong following throughout North America as well as New Zealand and Australia.They’re now working on an LP, and with approval from the likes of New Zealand’s top producer Tiki, they’re well on their way to becoming a major player.