Chris Sanders - Hana The Glowworm

Chris Sanders is proud to announce the premiere of his first full scale musical, Hana the Glowworm, following on from the abridged 'Tunes 4 Tamariki' version he launched with Auckland Philharmonia in 2025 and featuring the music from Tūi Award nominated album.

The production is proudly being presented by Centrestage Youth Theatre in Orewa and Angel Star Publishing House.

Hana is the beautiful story of a curious and brave little glowworm with a very bright spirit.

Drawn by the sound of a faraway orchestra flowing through her cave, she begins an adventure to discover the source of the music, along with her new friend, a cave eel.

Deep in the night time forest of Aotearoa they adventure and meet many new friends along the way, including some lost musical instruments! The story is filled with fun that is both daring and dangerous! Can Hana and her friends rescue the concert? Can someone so little save the day?

In 2025, Hana the Glowworm the album was named a finalist for a Tūi Award for Best Children's Artist Album!
Following packed-out performances with Auckland Philharmonia at the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre and Bruce Mason Centre in 2025, this expanded full-length version premieres at Centrestage Theatre - featuring new songs, more storyline and even more adventure!

Performances:

Saturday 26 September till Saturday 3 October.
All tickets $25, Family Pass available for groups of 4 people $22.50 per person. Credit Card Charges Apply.

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NZ pop artist Liberty releases music video after winning Beyond The Beat people’s choice with King’s cover

Emerging New Zealand pop artist Liberty has released the official music video for her version of Don’t Worry Bout It, after winning the fan-voted People’s Choice award in the online music series Beyond The Beat.

The series saw five artists reimagine songs by established Kiwi musicians, with Liberty covering Don’t Worry Bout It by Kings. The process was documented throughout the series before the artists revealed their versions live on radio to the original artists. After a public vote, Liberty was selected as the winner, earning the opportunity to create a fully produced music video for her track.

Liberty was announced as the winner live on air during an interview on The Edge, a moment she says still feels surreal.

“They brought me into The Edge for an interview and made it sound like all the artists had been in talking about the project all day, so I honestly thought it was just another chat. Then, live on air, they told me I’d won, which completely shocked me. Once we started planning the video, we wanted it to feel like a proper story, and we ended up filming most of it in one shot. It meant a lot of rehearsals and a lot of takes, but that’s what made the whole thing feel really fun in the end.”

Directed by Gal Hochman, produced by Chillbox and filmed at Peaches Hot Chicken in Auckland, the video leans into storytelling, following a fast-paced narrative where liberty is a stressed waitress running late for her shift before a chance encounter inspires her to relax, and her energy infects everyone in the diner. The video features mostly a one-shot style performing building to a choreographed musical theatre-inspired ending, bringing the whole restaurant together. 

Originally from Hawke’s Bay and now based in Auckland, Liberty has built a following with her raw, honest songwriting known for lyrics about growing up, relationships and overthinking. With several releases already out, the video marks the start of a bigger run of music planned for the year. 

The Don’t Worry Bout It is out now on all streaming services and the music video is available now on YouTube. 

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kindyRock Creator Judi Cranston waves ‘Goodbye’ to her kids songwriting years with ‘Can You Wave Goodbye’

APRA award-winning children’s music creator Judi Cranston today releases her brand-new song and video Can You Wave Goodbye.

Made with NZ On Air Tamariki support, Can You Wave Goodbye is a catchy goodbye song for educators and families, incorporating body awareness, actions and plenty of fun, made with support from NZ On Air Tamariki. The song also marks Judi’s own wave goodbye to kindyRock songwriting, with her 158th song, as she steps into a new chapter of soul led creative music for all ages after years of building her kindyRock collection.

Perfect for families at home, and for educators everywhere, this will be a must for mat time and gentle goodbyes at kindy drop off. The song is matched with a whimsical animated video, created by Auckland’s Ardi Alemi, to augment the song’s purpose - encouraging participation and fine motor skill development with simple and repetitive actions.

Judi is the founder of kindyRock, with a mission to help early childhood educators be more confident and creative with running their music sessions. Her fun and memorable musical resources help little kids learn through music, and they also help big people use music in ways that improve learning. In 2024, Judi won APRA Best Children’s Song (Preschool) along with her co-writer Levity Beet. 

For more than 18 years her music has been played by generations of kids and their parents, grannies and music groups alike. Judi is blown away to see how widely her music has travelled in this time; having started on CDs in 2008, the catalogue now has over 65 million streams on Spotify, and 12.5 million YouTube views. Along the way, support from NZ music industry bodies like NZ on Air Tamariki has recognised the importance of creating for a younger audience, backing the production and promotion for this song and video, and a number of other kindyRock singles since 2018.

Judi says, ‘My slant has always been to educate the educators, so they are empowered with new ideas to run their music classes in a fun and helpful way’. To this end, Judi also launched a kindyRock app with support from Creative New Zealand in 2020, responding to the need to make music sessions during the covid lockdowns more accessible to everyone at home. Additionally, with support from NZ Music Commission, her Rock Your Music training programme was created for teachers to develop their creativity, confidence and expertise in delivering music to kids themselves.

‘I created a goal in 2009 - that my music would be accessible to any child in the world. I wrote it on a little piece of paper and stuffed it in my drawer. Then I found it 15 years later when I changed my bedroom around and realised it had already happened. Since I began, the music industry here has exploded with amazing content for kids, beautiful networking through the Kiwi Kids Music community, and the growth in industry support for the genre. I am so glad to see so many people inspired to follow this path too’

Judi's music is a favourite at library rhymetimes and mainly music classes, and generations of kids have grown up knowing songs like Wibble Wobble and Sit on the Mat and Clap, among many more. 

Her top song on Spotify, Wibble Wobble, has over 9,500,000 streams!

The kindyRock catalogue will always remain accessible on streaming platforms in support of early childhood communities. Can You Wave Goodbye will help children practise calm, confident farewells through a catchy blend of repetition, rhythm and melody. This song continues Judi’s legacy of creating music that is not only joyful, but truly useful for the audience.

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BREAKTHROUGH NEW ZEALAND BAND BORDERLINE UNVEIL ANTHEMIC NEW SINGLE “WATCHING IT BURN”

Fresh off the back of supporting Teddy Swims on his New Zealand tour and picking up ‘Track of the Week’ on BBC Radio 1, breakthrough New Zealand band Borderline today unveil their anthemic new single “Watching It Burn”. “Watching It Burn" sees the genre-blurring quartet go back to their rock roots with a wall of sound that culminates in an epic sax solo, and proves why this young band, barely out of their teens, are being tipped as ones to watch globally.

“Watching It Burn” is one of our favourite songs,” explains Borderline. “It hits you with this colossal wall of sound, huge distorted guitars and massive drums that takes us back to our rock roots.  It’s so much fun to play live as a band, especially with the saxophone solo at the end, which Max absolutely crushes. This is the Borderline track we want people to turn up loud and sing while driving with the roof down. It’s about watching something that you’ve worked so hard to build just burn to nothing. Whether it’s someone or something, it's an area so many people can relate to in their own way.”

Hailing from Auckland, Borderline is Ben Glanfield [guitar, vocals, keys], Jackson Boswell [drums, vocals], Matthew McFadden [lead guitar], and Max Harries [bass]. The four musicians and songwriters have been best mates since childhood, releasing their debut single “Spinning” in 2022 as fresh-faced 16-year-olds still in high school. “Spinning” hit the Hot 40 Singles chart and the Radioscope Most Added charts. The band, now only just into their 20s, are already making waves internationally with their mix of pop, rock and funk, bringing their undeniable chemistry together to make music you can groove to.

Borderline ended 2025 with two singles in the top 10 NZ songs on radio in New Zealand, with “New Romance” hitting #1 on the Hot Aotearoa Singles and claiming the #1 New Zealand song on radio for a whopping 14 weeks. “New Romance” and “Tainted” were both also named ‘Track of the Week’ on BBC Introducing on Radio 1 - huge accolades for the young band who are already garnering key tastemaker support around the world.

With Teddy Swims declaring that Borderline "just rip it out there" on the live stage, and Ash London saying “Borderline are without a doubt future superstars of indie pop,” the band are amassing fans on home soil and internationally. Having already notched up scene-stealing performances at SXSW Austin and The Great Escape in the UK in 2025, the global trajectory of Borderline is just beginning with an extensive North American tour locked in for April. 

Stream “Watching It Burn” now, check out the official music video directed by Tom Grut here, and stay tuned for New Zealand and Australian tour dates very soon. 

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SOLA ROSA ANNOUNCES LOSING TIME FEAT. MUROKI - OUT NOW

Andrew Spraggon, a.k.a. Sola Rosa, has unveiled Losing Time, the third single from his forthcoming album In The Mids. Co-written with Muroki shortly before his move to Berlin, the track rides a mid-tempo, four-on-the-floor groove anchored by Kenji’s slick, atmospheric guitar and Lewis McCallum’s hooky horn arrangements — evoking the spirit of a 70s horn section while driving the track’s infectious energy. Simon Gooding’s mix lets each element breathe, highlighting both the rhythm and the space within the track.

Lyrically, Losing Time explores a tension familiar to many Kiwis: the pull between loving home and chasing opportunity abroad. There’s a subtle melancholy beneath the funk, balanced with wry reflections on ambition, movement, and the smallness of Aotearoa for an artist with big ideas. The result is rhythmically compelling, effortlessly groovy, and far funkier than it has any right to be — a track that rewards repeated listens and sits comfortably in both headphones and DJ sets.

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Harry Charles releases his third album, NOVA

Harry Charles returns with NOVA, his third full-length album and second on Loop Electronic.

Written with the dancefloor in mind, NOVA captures a new chapter in Charles’ evolution, one that leans into immediacy, rhythm, and the shared experience of live performance. Following the singles ‘The Luck’, ‘Zero Zero’ and ‘Great Pages’, the album sees Charles refining his sound into something brighter and more direct.

“After finishing my sophomore album Movement, I felt the pull to write something more direct, a body of work I could take straight to the festival stage. I was curious about the energy I was hearing on dancefloors at the time, but I never wanted to lose the slower groove that has always been part of my sound. Because of that balance, Nova became the fastest body of work I’ve made, while still feeling grounded in where I come from musically.” - Harry Charles 

An album written for the dancefloor, the sunset, and the moment when everything falls into place, NOVA was written to be experienced live.

“At its core, all I want my music to do is make people feel good and make them want to dance. In the past, I leaned heavily into long, cinematic soundscapes with extended intros and breakdowns. For this album, I shifted focus and wrote tracks that get to the point more quickly, and that could work naturally in DJ sets, without losing warmth or emotion.” - Harry Charles

NOVA builds on the foundation laid by 2025’s MOVEMENT, trading expansive ambient passages for tighter arrangements and driving grooves. Where his earlier work often unfolded patiently, this album moves with purpose, shaped by dancefloor energy. It's electronic music designed not just to be heard, but to be experienced collectively.

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About Harry Charles
Hailing from New Zealand, Harry Charles made his mark in Berlin, where he honed his craft and developed an electrifying style characterised by downtempo beats, slow house rhythms, live instrumentation, and heartfelt vocal performances. He has releases on a dozen boutique European labels, as well as spots on the lineups of prestigious festivals and clubs across Europe.

Now based back in Aotearoa, Harry released his second album MOVEMENT on Loop Electronic in May 2025, which saw him consolidate his palette into a 10-track, 46-minute journey of organic house, ambient textures, and intimate songwriting. Charles has established himself as a key member of the underground electronic scene in NZ, and his upcoming album will look to solidify his growing reputation.

Award-winning artist Theia to attend the 25th UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Award-winning singer and songwriter Em-Haley Kukutai Walker (Waikato, Ngaati Tiipaa) – who releases music and performs under the stage names Theia and TE KAAHU – will represent her people and Aotearoa at the 25th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (April 20 to May 1).

While in New York she will also attend and speak at several other UN-affiliated gatherings, including The Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus (April 19-20), which this year focuses on implementing the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the historic Second Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding (April 25-26) where Em will present research from Aotearoa and an article she has written about traditional Māori Peacebuilding Practices centering women, which will be published in a book on Indigenous Peacebuilding.

The news comes on the back of a packed few months for Em, who released her debut Theia album GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD in November 2025. This Thursday, March 5 she will play the final show of her Aotearoa Tour, before heading to the UN and then on to Canada where she will perform and run workshops at several festivals. Em will juggle her work at the UN with her North American touring commitments and a return to study.

The news comes on the back of a packed few months for Em, who released her debut Theia album GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD in November 2025. This Thursday, March 5 she will play the final show of her Aotearoa Tour, before heading to the UN and then on to Canada where she will perform and run workshops at several festivals. Em will juggle her work at the UN with her North American touring commitments and a return to study.

Em’s involvement in the forum and all UN-affiliated gatherings in New York is supported by the Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle - an official project of the 2019 UN’s International Year of Indigenous Languages, for which she is the Ambassador for Oceania. She is also one of seven grantees – each representing the seven socio-cultural regions recognised by the UN – selected from more than 2000 applicants worldwide to receive a grant from the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples. The grant aims to help representatives of Indigenous communities to participate in UN processes most relevant to Indigenous issues. Grants are issued based on fixed criteria and reviewed by the Board of Trustees through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who also serves as the Secretariat of the Fund.

This fund will cover the costs of Em’s travel and a small daily allowance for part of her time in New York. However, she still needs to raise more for accommodation and costs incurred during the extra time she is required to stay in New York.

As a fiercely independent artist for much of her 10-year career in music, Em has poured her heart, soul, and personal finances into the craft of songwriting, recording, and performing, which leaves little to help support her work in Indigenous advocacy. So she has launched a Givealittle campaign – graciously asking friends, family, and fans for financial support to assist her travels and work at the UN. All funds raised will go towards accommodation, on-ground transport, and daily living expenses while in New York.

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WEST AUCKLAND’S DOUBLE PARKED ANNOUNCE RAW SOPHOMORE EP, ROSARY, WITH LATEST SINGLE ‘PLACE I HIDE’

West Auckland post-surf rockers Double Parked have announced their sophomore EP Rosary, with latest focus single, ‘Place I Hide’, following the bands cult favourite 2023 debut EP Lost in the Groove.

Rooted in raw shared experiences between five best friends and band mates, Tom Purdie (vocals), Travis Hassell (bass), Chad Mascelle (drums), Carlin Diprose (guitar/vocals) and Ben Woolford (guitar/production), Double Parked deliver some of their most confronting and confessional storytelling to date on Rosary. Reflected over the EP’s palette of both soft, stripped-back acoustic introspection and urgent, raucous guitar anthems, the project's seven tracks are deeply cathartic, crafting a record that radically breaks the stigma of sharing men's experiences with the complexities of mental health. 

From lead single ‘Necklace’ and it’s introspective lyrical purge, to second single ‘Buttercup’s high-charged anxious energy, to the hopeful glow of ‘Lighthouse’, the lofi, stripped-back fragility of ‘Reaching Out’, resilient songwriting of ‘Survive’, and poetic spoken word meditation of closing track ‘Rhythm of Silence’, each of the projects 7 tracks unpack the non-linear process of navigating mental health and healing - somewhere between breakdown and breakthrough. While sonically still steeped in their signature guitar driven post-surf sound, Rosary EP pushes the bands pens to reveal intimate new layers of their artistry, documenting their growth not only as a band, but as friends and confidantes figuring out the pits and peaks of life in their twenties together.   

The EP’s latest focus single, ‘Place I Hide’, marks the project's climax. Driving with jangling guitars and moody reverb, lyrically the track purges a pensive account of coping mechanisms and survival strategies. “Selfish and bleeding, as the sun is receding, holding onto my friendship hard, pull it out, simmer down, watch me drown,” Tom's gritty vocals sing. “When I'm in this frame of mind, waiting on the borderline, take it all in all your stride, darkness creeping into this place I hide”. 

“Place I Hide might be my favourite track,” Carlin reveals. “It was the first one we wrote, and we started recording it nearly a year before the rest. Originally it was the planned third single that we didn’t have time to record last year, during the ‘Dopamine’ and ‘Scars’ sessions. We all frothed it so hard, we knew we had to record it ASAP, and we kinda ended up writing this project around it. For me, and I’m sure the other boys feel similar, it really is the centrepiece of the album. The climax of the journey.” 

Of the band's growth on the upcoming EP, Travvy details: “I believe that as people and musicians we’ve all grown in different ways since our first EP, but the essence of our creative process hasn’t changed too much. We write exactly what we are feeling at the time and make decisions on the music democratically as a band.”

He adds, “This project came to life at a time when we were all battling demons. This feeling of despair and defiance can be felt in the deep and reflective lyricism, but this energy also molded and sculpted how the guitars, bass, and drums were written and recorded. We didn’t intend for this EP to sound as it does, but it was the only music that could have come of us at the time.”

In the past two years since the success of their 2023 debut EP Lost in the Groove, Double Parked have cemented themselves as one of New Zealand’s most exciting acts on the rise. The group have quickly developed a cult following with their rowdy live shows, festival sets, and tours with celebrated local and international acts including The Butlers, Lazy Ghost, and most recently supporting Australian indie-rock band The Terrys across their New Zealand tour this past September. This Summer, the band are set to perform at the country's biggest new years festival Rhythm & Vines, and perform a headline show at Auckland’s Tuning Fork on (insert date).

Pushing forward the traditional surf-rock sound with their own genre-defying fusion labelled “post-surf”, Double Parked are redefining the subgenre for a new generation. While making music that’s quintessentially rooted in New Zealand, the group pull from a melting pot of global influences including Indie, Alternative, Post-Punk, Psych and Surf, laced together from their distinctly West Coast lens.  

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