Maggie Shui
Revel in gay, sparkly 90s love with Milly Tabak & The Miltones’ new single
Milly Tabak & The Miltones’ new track ‘Liven Up The Night’ opens with the line, “Is this street dark enough?” It’s a sensible question for those…
Pop duo Foley show us their hidden talent: ranking Birkenstocks
Auckland indie-pop duo Foley exercise their footwear critiquing skills, and review a handsome selection of Birkenstocks. Which Birk comes on top in Comfort, Utility and Fashion?
Many…
Team Dynamite share their soothing new track ‘Dragon Fruit’
One of the first scenes of the ‘Dragon Fruit’ music video is Lucky Lance standing half-submerged at the bottom of a waterfall, fully clothed, in a…
NZ music festivals have no excuse for lack of gender diversity
The usual defences of lack of supply or lack of demand for non-male acts don't cut it anymore.
Bailey Wiley on the power of your family calling you out for your bullsh*t
Last year, Bailey Wiley won the NZ Music Award for Best Soul/RnB Artist. At the time, her baby girl was five weeks old. We join Bailey…
Troy Kingi spent a year researching his Taite Award-winning album, then wrote it in two weeks
Troy Kingi has committed to writing ten albums in ten genres in ten years. Fresh off a Taite Music Prize win - one of the most…
Black Lives Matter solidarity march: "It happens here in this country"
"It happens to me. That's why I'm here." With less than 24 hours notice, thousands of New Zealanders gathered to protest against racism and police violence…
Three women under 25 tell us how they'll shape New Zealand
The YWCA has chosen 25 women under the age of 25 for a new project highlighting the power of young wāhine. Re: chatted with three people…
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…
A poem to help us process our frustration and anxiety right now
In just a few weeks, many of us went from feeling more or less secure in our livelihoods to losing them. The rest of us are…
How Church & AP are making it work during Covid-19
“There’s not a lot of interesting things in the world to talk about right now apart from Covid-19,” says Church from the Tāmaki Makaurau rap duo…
New music release: Paige colours her wairua yellow
Imagine the aura or the energy that you’re giving off right now. If that aura had a colour, what would it be?
Auckland singer-songwriter Paige has released…
New release: Adam Hattaway and the Haunters’ “woozy swamp ballad” hits the spot
“I want to make music that's classic and kind of hits the spot,” says Adam Hattaway.
There’s a repeated motif in Adam Hattaway and the Haunters’ new…
New release: How to be The Beths in four easy steps!
The Beths make music that is jubilant, neurotic, carefree and anxious. I revisited their debut album Future Me Hates Me during a state-sanctioned walk around my…
Release of the Week: Auckland R&B singer-songwriter Jordan Gavet is both baby and baddie
One rhinestone-encrusted hair clip reads ‘BADDIE VIBES’. The other reads ‘HONEY BABY’. In the opening of her new music video, directed by Shae Sterling, Jordan Gavet…
Release of the Week: Diggy Dupé turns a Niuean war chant into an exhilarating hip hop track
Since we’ve just entered a nationwide, 4-week long lockdown, Diggy Dupé briefly considered pushing his music video release for ‘Keke Boy’ a week later... but then…
Release of the Week: Raiza Biza and his crew of African-Kiwi artists are stealing back their funds
Like pretty much every artist in New Zealand, Raiza Biza has just had a bunch of shows and interviews cancelled due to measures to stem the…
Auckland rapper Hans. shows us how to make Korean cocktails | Party Trick
Impress your friends at your next Korean barbecue hang. Auckland rapper Hans. shows us how to whip up yum cocktails that disguise the "ass" taste of…
Premiere: Reb Fountain exposes our false gods in her new song ‘When Gods Lie’
When Reb Fountain sings “when gods lie”, who are the gods she is talking about?
It’s a lyric that suggests a crisis of faith, like a coming-of-age…
Our favourite quotes from wāhine at our International Women’s Day event
We threw a party to celebrate International Women’s Day, along with our mates The Oh Nine, and asked four powerful wāhine how they found their voice.…
Release of the Week: VÏKÆ talks escaping Chernobyl, being bipolar and her new song ‘Liar’
If you’ve ever fucked up, one thing you could do is write a song about it and hope the people you wronged will hear it. That’s…
Premiere: Mo Muse’s new music video “goes out to all the immigrants”
“This one goes out to all the immigrants, maaan,” is how Mo Muse begins his song ‘All the Kids’.
Then he quips, “You know, we always had…
Premiere: Merk makes door hinges sound cool in his new music video
There’s a metallic synth sound, almost like a squeaking hinge, in Merk’s latest single ‘H.N.Y.B’. You wouldn’t think a door hinge in need of lubrication is…
Jang Huddle is telling 1.5 generation stories through dance
Cindy Jang is extending the possibilities of what dance can be with her collective Jang Huddle.
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Release of the Week: Auckland rapper Hans. takes us into his dreamy $5 music video
This week, Hans. released ‘Getby’, our first peek into his new project Tango Hue.
Hans. has a knack for transforming everyday motifs into something special. In the…
Backstage on a giddy night at the Pride Gala
We handed Freya Finch, the director of OurGala, and Hugo Grrrl, drag king and effervescent MC of the night, a disposable camera each to take photos…
A poet, a rapper and a house mother talk gender diversity
A poet (essa may ranapiri), a rapper (Randa) and a house mother (Moe Laga) sit down together for a picnic. They talk gender diversity and the…
Who are Rohingya refugees and why is their country going to court for genocide?
The UN calls the Rohingya "the most persecuted minority in the world." Although they have lived in the land now known as Myanmar for hundreds of…
“Righteous and Confident”: Being 18 in New Zealand Today
Classic coming-of-age tales used to include some combination of driving, sex, first loves, alcohol and arguing with your parents. But what would the story motifs be…