The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions,including Māori music,the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century,and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century,including blues,jazz,country,rock and roll,reggae,and hip hop,with many of these genres given a unique New Zealand interpretation.
Sir David Joseph Dobbyn is a New Zealand musician,singer–songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash. Since then he has released the majority of his recordings as a solo performer.
Fane Michael Flaws was a New Zealand musician,songwriter,and artist.
Che Kuo Eruera Ness,better known by his stage name Che Fu,is a New Zealand hip hop,R&B and reggae artist,songwriter and producer. A founding member of the band Supergroove,as a solo artist he has gone on to sell thousands of albums both in New Zealand and internationally. Che Fu is considered a pioneer of Hip hop and Pasifika music in New Zealand.
New Zealand hip hop derives from the wider hip hop cultural movement originating amongst African Americans in the United States. Like the parent movement,New Zealand hip hop consists of four parts:rapping,DJing,graffiti art and breakdancing. The first element of hip hop to reach New Zealand was breakdancing,which gained notoriety after the release of the 1979 movie The Warriors. The first hip hop hit single,"Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang,became a hit in New Zealand when it was released there in 1980,a year after it was released in the United States. By the middle of the 1980s,breakdancing and graffiti art were established in urban areas like Wellington and Christchurch. By the early 1990s,hip hop became a part of mainstream New Zealand culture.
Supergroove is a New Zealand funk rock music group. Their debut album Traction was released in 1994. The group disbanded in 1997 but reformed in 2007.
Demetrius C. Savelio,better known by his stage name Savage,is a New Zealand rapper and a former member of hip hop group the Deceptikonz. Savage was the first New Zealand hip hop artist to have a commercial single achieve platinum certification status in the United States. The "International Breakthrough" accolade of the Pacific Music Awards was created in his honour. Savage also has applied his recognisable voice in the electronic dance music space with 5×platinum hit ''Freaks'' with Timmy Trumpet,and 4 times platinum hit ''Swing'' with Joel Fletcher.
The following lists events that happened during 1997 in New Zealand.
2b S.Pacific is the debut solo album by New Zealand musician Che Fu. Released through BMG in October 1998,it reached No. 2 on the New Zealand charts.
"Anchor Me" is a 1994 single by New Zealand rock band The Mutton Birds. The song peaked at #10 in the New Zealand singles chart,and charted for nine weeks. The song was from the group's 1993 album Salty,with three other album tracks used on the single. "Anchor Me" is a love song,written by the Mutton Birds' lead singer Don McGlashan about his wife.
Tigilau Ness is a Niuean New Zealand activist and reggae artist,and performs as Unity Pacific. Ness is a political activist and first generation Pacific Island New Zealander.
"George" is a song by New Zealand rock band Headless Chickens,released as the lead single from their third studio album,Greedy,in 1994. Charting as a double A-side with the Eskimos in Egypt mix of their 1991 song "Cruise Control",the single reached number one in the band's native New Zealand for four weeks in 1994 and 1995 and received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). "George" was nominated for Single of the Year at the 1995 New Zealand Music Awards,losing to Purest Form's "Message to My Girl". In 1997,the song was released in Australia,where it peaked at number 67 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
Traction is the first album by New Zealand rock band Supergroove. It was released in 1994 by RCA Records,debuting at number one on the New Zealand albums chart and quickly reached platinum status there. Before the band could record their second album,Che Fu was fired from the band. Supergroove would end up releasing their second and final album,Backspacer,without Fu. To date,the album has achieved the requirements for platinum status five times over.
Western Springs College/NgāPuna o Waiōrea is a state co-educational secondary school located in Western Springs,an inner suburb of Auckland,New Zealand. Western Springs College and NgāPuna o Waiōrea teach collaboratively on one campus. The school educates approximately 1840 students,from Years 9 to 13. The school was originally part of Seddon Memorial Technical College,but was moved to the current Western Springs site in 1964.
DLT,born Darryl Thomson,is a New Zealand DJ,music producer,composer and artist. He was born in Maraenui,New Zealand.
Kas Futialo,known by the stage name Tha Feelstyle,is a New Zealand hip hop artist of Samoan descent. His first album was Break It To Pieces in 2004. Tha Feelstyle was born in Samoa and moved to New Zealand in the 1980s. He raps in English as well as the Samoan language.
"Sensitive to a Smile" is a single from the New Zealand reggae band Herbs from the Sensitive to a Smile album. The single reached #9 in the New Zealand chart.
Massad Barakat-Devine,known mononymously as Massad,is a New Zealand pop musician. He co-hosted the TV2 show The 4.30 Show,along with Eve Palmer and ex-The Erin Simpson Show presenter Michael Lee.
"Can't Get Enough" is a 1994 single from New Zealand funk rock band Supergroove. It peaked at number one in the New Zealand singles chart and later charted at 36 in Australia. The song was included on Supergroove's debut album Traction. Long-time TVNZ 2 continuity announcer Warren Thomas made a spoken cameo appearance part way into the song.
