Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later band members include Neil Finn's brother, Tim Finn and sons Liam and Elroy, as well as Americans Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod, with Neil Finn and Nick Seymour being the sole constant members of the group since its formation.
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.
Briolette Kah Bic Runga, recording as Bic Runga, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist. Her first three studio albums debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40 Album charts. Runga has also found success internationally in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom with her song "Sway".
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.
Thompson Twins were a British pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States, and around the world. In 1993, they changed their name to Babble, to reflect their change in music from pop to dub-influenced chill-out. They continued as Babble until 1996, at which point the group permanently broke up.
Madison Avenue was an Australian electronic music duo consisting of writer-producer Andy Van Dorsselaer and singer-lyricist Cheyne Coates. Madison Avenue is best known for the song "Don't Call Me Baby", which peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart in 1999 and topped the charts in New Zealand and the United Kingdom in 2000. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2000 they won Single of the Year, Highest Selling Single and Breakthrough Artist – Single for "Don't Call Me Baby" as well as Best Video for Mark Hartley's direction of "Who the Hell Are You".
The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney, Scott Owen, and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 1997 after the release of their EP Second Solution / Prisoner of Society, which peaked at No. 4 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. They have released eight studio albums, two of which reached the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart: The Living End and State of Emergency. They have also achieved chart success in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
"Bring Me to Life" is the debut single by American rock band Evanescence from their debut studio album, Fallen (2003). Wind-up released it as the album's lead single on April 7, 2003. The song was written by Amy Lee when she was 19, after an exchange with an acquaintance during a time she was in relationship turmoil; the song is about having been desensitized and realizing all the things she had been missing in life. Guitarist Ben Moody and David Hodges also have songwriting credit on the song, which features guest vocals from Paul McCoy of the band 12 Stones. Produced by Dave Fortman, "Bring Me to Life" is a nu metal and goth metal crossover song. The male vocal rap was forced by the label against Lee's wishes, in order to market it in the musical landscape of the time.
Fat Freddy's Drop is a New Zealand seven-piece band from Wellington, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by musicians from other bands in Wellington, Fat Freddy's Drop gradually became its members' sole focus. Band members continued playing with their other respective groups—The Black Seeds, TrinityRoots, Bongmaster, and others—for much of their 20-year career. Fat Freddy's Drop are known for their improvised live performances. Songs on their studio albums are versions refined over years of playing them live in New Zealand and on tour abroad.
Shapeshifter are a live drum and bass act from New Zealand. They are known for their live shows and blend of heavy soul with drum and bass. They have made appearances at Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Big Day Out, Parklife plus sold-out performances across Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
"Hey Baby" is a song by American rock band No Doubt from their fifth studio album Rock Steady (2001). Written by band members Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal and Tom Dumont, "Hey Baby" was released as the album's lead single in October 2001 by Interscope Records. "Hey Baby" is heavily influenced by the Jamaican dancehall music present at No Doubt's post-show parties and tour bus lounges of their Return of Saturn tour. Its lyrics describe the debauchery with groupies at these parties.
"Bye Bye Bye" is a song by American boy band NSYNC from their third studio album, No Strings Attached. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Kristian Lundin and Jake Schulze, with additional writing by Andreas Carlsson. Its lyrics describe the end of a romantic relationship; it was reported to also reference the group's separation from their manager Lou Pearlman and their record label RCA Records.
"Crazy" is the debut single by American soul duo Gnarls Barkley, taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and several other countries.
Stellar is a New Zealand pop/rock band led by vocalist Boh Runga, sister of acclaimed recording artist Bic Runga. They have had four RIANZ top 10 singles and two No. 1 albums. The band's signature song is "Violent", which at the 2000 New Zealand Music Awards won the Single of the Year award, as well as winning Runga an award for best Songwriter. The band won seven awards, among them the Best Album award for their debut, Mix. This was followed up by 2001's Magic Line and 2006's Something Like Strangers. The band officially disbanded in 2010 after releasing their greatest hits compilation, and reformed in 2017.
Mix is the debut studio album by New Zealand pop rock band Stellar, released by Sony BMG on 29 July 1999. The album debuted at No. 2 on the RIANZ albums chart, and after seven weeks within the top ten, reached number one. The album was certified 5× platinum, after selling over 75,000 copies in New Zealand.
"Undone" is a song by New Zealand band Stellar*, released in November 2000 as the fourth single from their debut album, Mix (1999). The single includes the international version of "Violent"'s music video, directed by Jonathan King, as an extra element. "Undone" reached number 13 on New Zealand's RIANZ Singles Chart chart in January 2000 and charted for 12 weeks.
"Every Girl" is a song by New Zealand band Stellar*, released as the fifth and final single from their debut album, Mix (1999). It is the band's highest-charting single in their home country, reaching number three on the RIANZ Singles Chart. The single was also released in Australia several months later with a different cover artwork. Track two of the single is billed as "Stellar vs International Observer" and is a dub remix of the band's "Violent" single. The second B-side is a dance remix of "Every Girl" called "Smooth Girl", done by band member Andrew Maclaren.
Magic Line is the second studio album by New Zealand pop rock band Stellar*, released by Sony BMG on 21 October 2001 in New Zealand.
"All It Takes" is a song by New Zealand band Stellar*, released as the lead single from their second album, Magic Line (2001), in September 2001. The single peaked at number seven on New Zealand's RIANZ Singles Chart and spent 19 weeks in the top 50, becoming the band's longest-charting single. The single includes two B-sides: a differently arranged version of "You" from Stellar*'s debut album, Mix (1999), and a live version of "Violent", recorded live in Hamilton, New Zealand on 4 March 2001.
"Cold" is a song by New Zealand pop music group Deep Obsession. It was written by two of the band's three members—Christopher Banks and Zara Clark—and produced by Banks and Australian disc jockey Paul Goodyear. The song was released as the group's second single from their debut studio album, Infinity (1999), almost a year after their previous single, a cover of "Lost in Love" by British-Australian soft rock duo Air Supply.
