Today marks the start of winter, which also means New Zealand Music Month has wrapped up for another year *sad react*. The Coronavirus pandemic, and the lockdown measures that followed, meant Kiwis’ had to celebrate our homegrown tunes a little bit differently this year, hence the theme being ‘Support Local. Stream Local. Follow Local and Buy Local’. Let’s have a look at what some of our artists got up to during the month of May!
SIX60
On Saturday night, the “I miss festivals and live music” emotions came flooding in after TVNZ1 treated New Zealanders to a special broadcast of SIX60’s Western Springs concert back in February. Fans across the country were able to relive some of their favourite memories of the band, with the aim being to raise money for the MusicHelpsLivesNZ charity.
The big surprise of the night was the announcement that the SIX60 movie, ‘Till the Lights Go Out’ will be released on the big screen later this year. Check out the trailer below, which features the boys and their journey from studying in Dunedin to becoming Kiwi music royalty.
BENEE
At the beginning of the month, BENEE released ‘Lownely’ – a stripped-back, acoustic version of her hit song ‘Supalonely’. This song is absolutely perfect for a rainy day in bed, on a walk with your dog, a dusty Sunday morning and has the potential to make study or work more enjoyable. Hit that play button and have a listen.
SACHI
ZM had to cancel their annual ‘Float Festival,’ but that didn’t stop the SACHI boys from throwing down one heck of a set from afar. Their 17-minute performance includes all the classics from ‘Worst Behaviour’ to ‘Hold On’ that will no doubt get you off the couch. In a nod to New Zealand Music Month, a remix of their track ‘Enchanté’ by Californian electro duo ‘Phantoms’ was released last week too. How good.
The Naked and Famous
Unfortunately, The Naked and Famous had to cancel their upcoming tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic which sucks big-time! However, Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers released the single ‘Death’ last month, ahead of their album’ Recovery’ which will be released July 24th. This will be the first full-length album since the band became a two-person act.
Eleven7Four
At the start of New Zealand Music Month, twin brothers Muche and Shingi Murare from Auckland were interviewed by The Project. They were identified as an up and coming Kiwi duo that we should know about. The interview includes details about recording in the same studio as Tupac, plus working alongside one of the best songwriters in the world. There is also talk about their debut album, ‘What’s the 1174?’ which will be released later this year.
MELODOWNZ
If you follow MELODOWNZ on Instagram, you may have noticed that he has been creating music and working with, the one, and only Scribe. What a combination that would be. MELO also released a fireeee video with Mai FM, where he mixed ‘Infinite’ and ‘No Mercy’ together to celebrate New Zealand Music Month. To top it off, he has also been named as a finalist for the ‘Best Hip Hop Artist’ at the New Zealand Pacific Music Awards later this year.
Drax Project
Last week, Drax Project joined Steph from The Edge on ‘The Vibe’ about what they got up to during lockdown and how they have found New Zealand Music Month. The episode ended with a live performance of ‘Woke Up Late’ which included a groovy Justin Timberlake cover too. Ever wondered what other Kiwi music the Drax boys enjoy listening too? Well, last week they took over the Spotify NZ ‘Listen Local’ playlist. Here are 30 of their favourite songs, to send the twentieth year of New Zealand Music Month out with a bang.
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