Cassie Henderson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 November 1998 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Genres | Pop |
| Website | www |
Cassie Henderson (born 8 November 1998) is a pop singer-songwriter from Christchurch, New Zealand.
She first gained attention after reaching the quarter-finals of X-Factor New Zealand as a 14 year old in 2013. [1] [2] After a hiatus to finish her education, she returned to songwriting in 2019, and eventually released her first EP, The Pink Chapter, in 2023, followed by The Yellow Chapter in 2024.
In 2023, her song "Whatever" was the most played song on radio by a New Zealand artist for 12 consecutive weeks, [2] and was nominated for the Breakthrough Single of the Year at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards. Henderson went on to win Best Pop Artist at the 2025 awards.
Henderson was born 8 November 1998, [3] [4] and grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she attended Rangi Ruru Girls' School. [5] Her father, Murray Henderson, is a former rugby union player and coach.
After graduation high school, she went on to study marketing, media, and film at university. [6]
In 2013, at the age of 14, Henderson competed on season one of The X Factor New Zealand. She was mentored by judge Daniel Bedingfield and ultimately placed fifth in the competition. [7] [8] Following her elimination, she returned to her studies. [5]
Henderson took her elimination from X-Factor hard, and struggled with the expectations required of her to make it in the music industry whilst a teenager. It wasn't until 2019, aged 20, that she returned to songwriting, becoming inspired to write music again after a "really, really bad heartbreak". [6] While back at home during a university break, she wrote her first single, "Tainted", which went on to be released in 2020. [8] [6]
Henderson released her first EP, The Pink Chapter, in 2023, and quit her day job in marketing in order to pursue music full time. [1] In December, she headlined Christmas in the Park. [9]
She released her second EP, The Yellow Chapter, in 2024, which went on to win her Best Pop Artist at the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards. [10] The EP's lead sing, "Seconds to Midnight", spent 15 weeks at number on the RadioScope NZ Airplay Charts. [11]
In August 2025, she appeared as a contestant on The Voice Australia ; all four of the show's coaches expressed interest in working with her, but Henderson chose to be mentored by Melanie C. [12] [13]
She plans to complete her trilogy of EPs, collectively titled The Chronicles of a Heart Broken, with her upcoming release, The Blue Chapter. [12] [2] [14]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot 40 [15] | Top 20 Aotearoa [15] | Hot 20 Aotearoa [15] | |||
| 2013 | "A Thousand Years (X Factor Performance)" | — | 16 | — | n/a |
| 2020 | "Tainted" | 27 | — | 2 | |
| 2020 | "Burns Brighter" | 12 | — | 5 | |
| 2021 | "Complacent" | 20 | — | 1 | |
| 2023 | "Whatever" | 25 | 20 | 2 | The Pink Chapter |
| 2023 | "Ghost" | 24 | — | 3 | |
| 2024 | "Seconds to Midnight (11:59)" | 11 | — | 1 | The Yellow Chapter |
| 2024 | "Lemonade" | 37 | — | 4 | |
| Year | Award | Work(s) Nominated | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Aotearoa Music Awards | "Whatever" | Breakthrough Single | Nominated | [16] |
| 2025 | "Seconds to Midnight (11:59)" | Single of the Year | Nominated | [17] | |
| The Yellow Chapter | Best Pop Artist | Won | [10] | ||