Sunday Sessions Launches at The Oakroom A Weekly Home for R&B
The weekly live music platform returns to Auckland this March, bringing together some of Aotearoa’s respected R&B musicians in a relaxed Sunday gathering centered on connection, musicianship and community.
The weekly live music platform returns to Auckland this March, bringing together some of Aotearoa’s respected R&B musicians in a relaxed Sunday gathering centred on connection, musicianship and community.
Sunday Sessions, hosted at The Oakroom in the historic Victoria Park Market, will run every Sunday from 11am–7pm, with live bands performing from 3pm–6pm. Entry is free, with guests invited to arrive early for lunch and drinks from 11am.
Made possible through the support of Rohini Jacob of The Oakroom, who has
provided the space to support this kaupapa, Sunday Sessions continues to provide a platform for artists while creating a welcoming environment where our music community can gather, connect and experience powerful live music together.
The series reopens for 2026 Sunday, March 15, with Saylene Tanielu-Ulberg and Allegro, a reunion of musicians whose roots stretch back to the early 2000s when Allegro first formed. Reuniting through friendship and a shared love of soulful music, the band returns to honour the legacy of Aotearoa’s musical pioneers while sharing that spirit with the next generation.
The weekly programme features a rotating lineup from Aotearoa’s R&B community, including Saylene Tanielu-Ulberg and Allegro, Lady Lyric with Band G-Spot, and Tereo Malosi Lepou and Band, performing on alternate Sundays.
Grounded in depth, honesty and cultural integrity, Sunday Sessions creates space for meaningful live performance experiences that connect artists, audiences and community.
More than a gig, Sunday Sessions is about building a weekly musical home where artists, audiences and community can gather through music and connection. Sunday Sessions invites Auckland’s music lovers and community to come together each week to celebrate live music, connection and the artists shaping Aotearoa’s rich musical landscape
Rising NZ Pop Artist Flynn Adamson Delivers Nostalgic New Single “2016”
Rising New Zealand pop artist Flynn Adamson captures the pull of nostalgia on his new single “2016,” a glossy, hook-driven pop track about the person who brings you back to the best version of yourself.
Rising New Zealand pop artist Flynn Adamson captures the pull of nostalgia on his new single “2016,” a glossy, hook-driven pop track about the person who brings you back to the best version of yourself.
Driven by Flynn’s warm, heartfelt vocal and grunty pop production, the track balances emotional honesty with undeniable pop energy. With its memorable hook — “hold me that way, I don’t need space” — “2016” blends reflective storytelling with an infectious ear-worm chorus that lingers long after the song ends.
For Flynn, the song is deeply personal. “Writing ‘2016’ was a sweet experience because I moved away from my family home this year. It’s about someone who reminds you of your childhood and the best parts of where you came from. I felt that was worthy of a song.”
“2016” continues to position Flynn Adamson as one of Aotearoa’s emerging pop voices to watch in 2026.
Flynn Adamson is a Christchurch-born pop artist delivering bright guitar-driven hooks, smooth vocals and the energy of a live band. Blending modern pop production with a grungy live edge, his performances feel both intimate and stadium-ready.
Flynn has appeared at major New Zealand events including Christmas in the Park and Selwyn Sounds, sharing stages with leading Kiwi acts such as The Butlers and Will Swinton.
Mazbou Q Blends Afro-Fusion and Melodic Metal on Reflective New Single “If E Dey Go”
“If E Dey Go” builds on the sonic foundation Mazbou Q consolidated with “Survived,” continuing his fusion of Afro-diasporic rhythm, hip-hop expression, and heavy guitar textures, this time through a more melancholic, midtempo lens.
“If E Dey Go” builds on the sonic foundation Mazbou Q consolidated with “Survived,” continuing his fusion of Afro-diasporic rhythm, hip-hop expression, and heavy guitar textures, this time through a more melancholic, midtempo lens.
Carried by a rolling groove reminiscent of Burna Boy’s Afro-fusion sway and layered with melodic metalcore-inspired riffs in the spirit of early Killswitch Engage, the track balances warmth and weight in equal measure. Rather than leaning on aggression, the guitars serve as emotional release with chords that lift the track's deeply reflective character.
"If E Dey Go" traces the inner dialogue of someone coming to terms with a breakup - the tug-of-war between mind, heart, and soul when something meaningful reaches its natural end. Yet the relationship serves as an extended metaphor for releasing anything once held dear: a person, a season, a version of oneself. The refrain “If e dey go, e dey go… we gon’ make it anyway” shifts the focus from desperation to acceptance and the freedom of surrendering to timing and season.
The release arrives ahead of his upcoming Rap Science Tour of the Netherlands this March, extending the momentum of RAP SCIENCE. and its APRA Silver Scroll-nominated single “TORQUE.” With “If E Dey Go,” Mazbou Q demonstrates that heaviness can be intimate, and that letting go can be as powerful as survival.
A.R.T Release New EP Blank Canvas
Wellington based female trio A.R.T have released their EP Blank Canvas, marking a clear shift in direction for the group. Known for their three part harmonies and blend of R&B; with island influence, the trio chose to approach this project differently. Rather than continuing with the sound that first introduced them to audiences, they treated this EP as a reset and rebuilt their direction from the ground up.
Wellington based female trio A.R.T have released their EP Blank Canvas, marking a clear shift in direction for the group.
Known for their three part harmonies and blend of R&B; with island influence, the trio chose to approach this project differently. Rather than continuing with the sound that first introduced them to audiences, they treated this EP as a reset and rebuilt their direction from the ground up.
The release follows the response to “Over Now,” which dropped in early February and gained traction across Instagram and TikTok, with listeners using the track for breakup and empowerment content. The momentum signaled that the group’s new direction was connecting.
Blank Canvas moves through different stages of relationships including independence, reflection, desire, and commitment. The focus track “Full Attention” leans into reassurance and presence, highlighting the vocal chemistry that defines A.R.T.
“This project forced us to be honest about where we are now,” the group says. “We did not want to repeat ourselves. We wanted to start fresh and see what came out of it.”
As a female trio operating in a space often dominated by solo acts, A.R.T have taken a deliberate step toward defining their sound on their own terms.
Blank Canvas is available on all streaming platforms now.
PAUL MCLANEY RELEASES NEW INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM ‘EXEGESIS’AS BANDCAMP EXCLUSIVE
Paul McLaney’s new instrumental album ‘EXEGESIS’ compromises two 23 minute long pieces of music built upon the hypnotic and ever evolving melodic interplay of an almost chamber style collection of instrumentation. Acoustic guitars and pianos weave their way between glockenspiels and mellotrons, celestas and organs. It follows hot on the heels of his debut as a producer for another artist; Seraphim Night’s album ‘CERCA TROVA.’
Paul McLaney’s new instrumental album ‘EXEGESIS’ compromises two 23 minute long pieces of music built upon the hypnotic and ever evolving melodic interplay of an almost chamber style collection of instrumentation. Acoustic guitars and pianos weave their way between glockenspiels and mellotrons, celestas and organs. It follows hot on the heels of his debut as a producer for another artist; Seraphim Night’s album ‘CERCA TROVA.’
“The thoughts and ideas I want to express with words at the moment are better suited to poetry rather than song, and the things I wish to express musically don’t want to be shackled by the specificity of lyrics.
Purely instrumental music can convey thoughts and emotions without prescribing them. Every listener paints a different picture in their mind when they truly engage in the considered art of listening. Really listening, like a meditation.
These two, long form compositions are an invitation to that kind of listening. They are a journey and a destination combined; a sanctuary. Music has been that sanctuary for me since I was a child and it continues to be that respite.
I’m interested in the miniature majestic; the inverse of the modern lexicon of epic textures. I’m interested in lattices of small melodies intersecting like the veins of a leaf or the subtle play of reflected light.
There is something of the way memories scaffold in the interplay of harmony and counterpoint. In their repetition and insistence. We are the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we continue to tell ourselves , the stories we repeat.”
The album is the first in a planned series of Bandcamp exclusives. Unlike major streaming services that pay miniscule amounts per stream, Bandcamp operates on a “fan-first” model, where artists typically retain 82-85% of their revenue. Bandcamp has created a community of music lovers; engaged listeners as opposed to passive consumers. Bandcamp encourages buying albums, fostering a listening experience where fans listen to the whole project, rather than skipping songs in a playlist.
Wellington-based pop artist Emma Rutherford releases new single Gracie, a tender and timely reflection on growing up in a complicated world.
Following a run of emotionally driven releases, Emma Rutherford opens 2026 with Gracie, a song inspired by her niece but written as a wider metaphor for young people everywhere. Addressing themes of pressure, perfection, and the search for validation, Gracie offers reassurance and hope, centering on the message that no one is truly alone.
Following a run of emotionally driven releases, Emma Rutherford opens 2026 with Gracie, a song inspired by her niece but written as a wider metaphor for young people everywhere. Addressing themes of pressure, perfection, and the search for validation, Gracie offers reassurance and hope, centering on the message that no one is truly alone.
Produced by Toby Lloyd (Tiny Triumph Recordings), Emma leans into a softer, more reflective sound, allowing her honest songwriting and soulful vocals to take centre stage.
As her first single of 2026, Gracie sets the tone for a new creative chapter and arrives ahead of Emma’s debut live show in Wellington, which she plans to take on tour across Aotearoa. With each release, Emma Rutherford continues to carve out a space within the New Zealand music industry.
Imani-J Releases Her First Single for 2026
‘something special’ is a smooth, self-assured statement of confidence and independence from Imani-J. Built on SunsetDrver's production of lush R&B chords, afro-percussive rhythms, and amapiano-tinged log drums, the track creates a warm groove for Imani-J's ethereal vocals to glide between.
Haitian-New Zealand artist Imani-J is only seventeen, yet she is already carving out a powerful presence in both the local and global artist community. Crafting music that sits at the intersection of Afrofusion and R&B, she is an artist in the truest sense of the word - singer, songwriter, dancer, and performer.
Her self-assurance and authenticity has seen floods of new fans from all over the world discover her music this year, with a 700% organic increase in social media following within two months.
‘something special’ is a smooth, self-assured statement of confidence and independence from Imani-J. Built on SunsetDrver's production of lush R&B chords, afro-percussive rhythms, and amapiano-tinged log drums, the track creates a warm groove for Imani-J's ethereal vocals to glide between.
Imani-J sets clear boundaries and calls for someone who can truly meet her at her level, confidently, calmly, and with intention.
‘something special’ highlights the rising Haitian New Zealand artist’s growing presence in the Afrofusion and R&B space. Fans of Amaarae and Tems will feel right at home.
Imani-J’s breakout releases have already gained strong traction both locally and internationally, with both local support in Aotearoa and airplay across the US, UK and Europe. She’s been featured by DAZED, Rolling Stone Australia/NZ, Sniffers, among many others, and a number of editorial placements.
With writing sessions across Seattle, LA, and London in 2025, and the recent release of her debut EP EXPECTATIONS, her talent and dedication have her poised to make a significant impact on the NZ and global music scenes.
VERITY UNVEILS BOLD NEW SINGLE “LIKE IT’S LONDON”
Rising pop-soul artist Verity steps into a fearless new era with her latest single “Like It’s London”, out today. Bold, reckless, and unapologetic, the track captures a moment in time where confidence ran high, consequences felt distant, and everything moved fast and loud.
Rising pop-soul artist Verity steps into a fearless new era with her latest single “Like It’s London”, released 20 February 2026. Bold, reckless, and unapologetic, the track captures a moment in time where confidence ran high, consequences felt distant, and everything moved fast and loud.
“Like It’s London” is a snapshot of youth fuelled by impulse and thrill — late nights, slicked-back hair, high heels, and dressing to be seen. The song leans into that intoxicating mix of power and self-destruction, where rules are broken, heads are turned, and everything falling apart feels like part of the fun.
Reflecting on the song, Verity says:
“I was reminiscing about the person I was when I was younger. At the time, I thought I had everything together — but looking back, everything was actually falling apart. That contrast is what inspired this song.”
Rooted in high-energy pop with emotional depth, “Like It’s London” speaks to young listeners navigating confidence, identity, and chaos in real time. It connects with teens and young adults drawn to self-expression, nightlife, and that powerful — often fragile — phase of becoming.
Known for her deeply honest storytelling and blend of pop, soul, and R&B, Verity continues to carve out a sound that is raw, real, and unmistakably her own. With this release, she steps forward with clarity and strength — offering an anthem for anyone reflecting on who they were, and choosing who they want to become.