New Zealand

In recent years, it seems there has been sort of an intrigue with up and coming New Zealand musicians like last year’s Kimbra, and this year’s (and my new obsession) Lorde. So it was only fitting for me to begin the semester focused on this interesting country.

The number of well known New Zealand artist in the US is kind of surprising. Everyone’s favorite ‘80s pop band, Crowded House, originated from the country, and The Naked and Famous (who had a hit with “Young Blood” in 2010) are also natives.

The New Zealand music scene welcomes many styles including blues, jazz, pop and hip-hop, but rock music has always been a strong staple for the country’s musicians. More specifically, kiwi rock is the names used by natives to describe rock music.

Rock sprung up in New Zealand in the ‘60s with the most popular bands being The La'De'Da's and The Fourmyula. In the ‘70s, following suit with the American music scene, punk music began to influence the masses. One of the most popular New Zealand punk bands was The Enemy, which also introduced lo-fi to the music scene.

In the last 30 years, hip-hop has slowly infiltrated New Zealand popular culture. Much of the country’s hip-hop music has been consistently politically charged and nationalistic, but in recent years, it has become more lyrical and friendly. One of the first hip-hop artists to achieve international fame was Savage, which featured the American musician Akon on an album that sold over 1.8 million copies in the US in 2005.

Other than popular musical styles, other aspects of New Zealand’s musical culture have become widespread, such as the country's many famous opera singers including Simon O’Neill and Anna Leese.

One of the most well known and popular theatre performances was also originated by a New Zealander. The Rocky Horror Show musical was written by Richard O’Brien, a native of the country, and it was first performed in London in 1973.

Flight of the Conchords

The comedic folk duo from New Zealand have made it big since they debuted with a television show on HBO in 2007.

The group is made up of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, who both studied film and theatre until they formed their band in 1998. Before the creation of their television show, Flight of the Conchords, the duo held a radio series for BBC Radio 2.

The radio series for McKenzie and Clement was sort of a precursor for the television series, not ironically holding the same title as the band. The show features the two men trying to find success in New York City using both dry and goofy humor in their music, which helps tell the story of their day-to-day lives.

Other than having a popular show on television, completion of  a successful tour and a string of albums, Flight of the Conchords have many other achievements under their belts.  For example, the duo has been nominated for multiple Emmys and was ranked the number 2 new television show by Time after their debut in 2007.