Blindspott is an alternative metal band from West Auckland, New Zealand. After performing under the name Blacklistt for several years, the original line-up got back together in 2018. The band was formed in 1997 with members Damian Alexander (vocals), Marcus Powell, Shelton Woolright (drums), Gareth Fleming (bass) and Karl Vilisini, also known as DJ Dlay.
Che Kuo Eruera Ness, better known by his stage name Che Fu, is a New Zealand singer, 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.
Demetrius C. Savelio, better known by his stage name Savage, is a New Zealand hip hop recording artist and 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 2003 in New Zealand.
Kiwi FM was a New Zealand alternative music radio network. From 1996 to 2005, as Channel Z, it broadcast alternative and local music for a youth-oriented market. From 2005 to 2015, as Kiwi FM, it broadcast predominantly New Zealand independent music, to showcase local music across a wide range of genres and enable greater access to an international market for local contemporary artists. The station broadcast in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch on FM frequencies and globally through an internet stream. During its later years it operated as a non-profit subsidiary of MediaWorks New Zealand, and was affiliated with XFM and Triple J.
Urban Pasifika is a New Zealand subgenre of hip hop, that developed primarily among Pasifika New Zealanders in South Auckland. Drawn from alternative hip hop and R&B influences, it was quickly blended with Pacific Island or Māori instrumentation and traditional songwriting and singing and rapping in a variety of Polynesian languages, such as Māori, Samoan, Niuean and Tongan. The genre's genesis in the 1980s blossomed into a unique, globally enrapturing cultural scene in its homeland of Auckland, especially in the next decade. Urban Pasifika is one of the most popular music genres to arise from New Zealand, and helped cement Auckland's reputation on the world stage as a major cultural centre, and the most ethnically Polynesian city in the world.
The Edge is a youth-oriented New Zealand entertainment brand consisting of a national radio network and an entertainment website. It is owned and operated by MediaWorks New Zealand. It previously had a TV channel, The Edge TV.
Rosita Gibbons née Vai is a New Zealand singer who rose to musical fame as the winner of the second season of New Zealand Idol in 2005.
Smokefreerockquest (SFRQ) is an annual music competition for intermediate and high school bands throughout New Zealand.
More Nature is a one-disc compilation album of twenty notable New Zealand popular music songs from 2000 to 2005, intended to be a supplement to the Nature's Best series of compilation albums. The song selection for More Nature was not voted on by Australasian Performing Right Association members as were the Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time. All of the songs on this album were selected because they had been released after the voting for the Nature's Best song list was conducted. The album was certified platinum.
The following lists events that happened during 2002 in New Zealand.
The MTV Australia Awards started in 2005 and were Australia's first awards show to celebrate both local and international acts. The last edition took place in 2009.
4 Corners is a New Zealand Hip-Hop group formed in 1998. Their songs On the Down Low and By My Side charted on New Zealand's top 40 in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
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.
Sima Urale is a New Zealand filmmaker. Her films explore social and political issues and have been screened worldwide. She is one of the few Polynesian film directors in the world with more than 15 years in the industry. Her accolades include the Silver Lion for Best Short Film at the Venice Film Festival for O Tamaiti (1996).
"You Got Me" is a single by New Zealand R&B singer J. Williams featuring Scribe, released in February 2010. Young Love features the track. The single went to number one in New Zealand five weeks after its debut, and was certified gold the week after.
The bNet NZ Music Awards was an annual New Zealand music award presentation organised by New Zealand student radio network bNet from 1998 to 2007.
"Fools Love" is the 2004 debut single from New Zealand hip hop duo Misfits of Science. The song spent four weeks at No.1 on the New Zealand singles chart in August 2004. The music video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 2004 New Zealand Music Awards.
