R&B

For Niko Walters, the pressure doesn’t change the passion

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On the back of the arrival of his debut album late last month, we caught up with the fast-rising young New Zealand artist to learn how it came together and what’s led him to this point. Niko Walters grew up immersed in music, but it wasn’t until he left the country that he found himself … Read more

On his latest album Twice as Tall, Burna Boy exceeds his stature

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The follow up to last year’s African Giant sees the breakout Afrobeats star attempt to surpass his own high bar. We run through a few of its highlights. After close to a decade of grinding to achieve a steadily bubbling success, Burna Boy entered the final year of the 2010s as an artist on the … Read more

In full bloom: Paige on standing up, speaking out and always growing

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Paige Tapara is a fast-rising young singer-songwriter whose debut EP explores themes of sexuality, coming of age, mental health and relationships. We asked her how it came together, and why she thinks it’s so important for NZ music to include voices like hers. Paige swoops into the room, a cream doughnut in one hand and a … Read more

A brief introduction to one of R&B’s most exciting voices

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American R&B artist Kehlani released her long-awaited sophomore album just before the weekend – here’s why you need to start paying attention. If you’re even the slightest bit invested in modern R&B, there’s a good chance you’ve already had Kehlani on rotate for a while. One of the genre’s most respected contemporary proponents, with a heaven-sent … Read more

‘I wanted to rep my neighbourhood, my country’: Che Fu on making 2b S.Pacific

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Twenty years on from the release of his debut album 2b S.Pacific, RNZ Music‘s Sam Wicks speaks to Che Fu about how getting kicked out of Supergroove lit the fire that helped him create his landmark album. In October 1998, BMG New Zealand released the debut solo project from Che-Fu (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Whakatere), an … Read more

Majid Jordan: ‘Things could fall apart in so many different ways’

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Hussein Moses speaks to Majid Jordan, the Toronto duo making noise thanks to one hell of a co-sign from Drake. While Drake might be experiencing whiplash right now after getting owned in a rap beef he started then breaking records with his album Scorpion, the Canadian superstar has put together an impressive roster of artists … Read more

Janine left New Zealand, then she learned to shine

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Kate Robertson talks to R&B singer Janine (now without ‘the Mixtape’) about leaving New Zealand and becoming bigger, better and stronger. Even the most novice American Idol viewer learns during the audition rounds that controlling a big voice isn’t easy. When you can belt it out like Mariah why would you bother with the smaller notes? The patron … Read more

Matthew Young’s lost years are bearing fruit

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Henry Oliver talks to pop artist Matthew Young about his new EP and re-evaluating success after mental illness. “I’m very obsessive,” Auckland-based pop artist Matthew Young tells me near the end of the almost two hours we spent talking over juice and chocolate tart at a bakery in Pt Chev. Every night since the first week … Read more

R&B singer-songwriter Villette: ‘I’ll do whatever the fuck it takes’

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Martyn Pepperell talks to R&B and neo-soul singer-songwriter Villette about making it from the Mad Butcher to Los Angeles. “You have to decide what you want out of music,” says Villette Dasha, better known under the mononym Villette, when we meet in Auckland on a warm afternoon in April. A Samoan-Chinese singer, songwriter and producer … Read more

Preview review: Sean Paul, Ne-Yo, Craig David and more of the Friday Jams lineup, live in Melbourne

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The best era in recent R&B history unites for a concert in downtown Auckland tonight. Duncan Greive reviews the Melbourne version. I don’t know what the strangest moment of the night was. Maybe the whole crowd singing Ne-Yo ‘Happy Birthday’ ahead of his vegan cake, due to his turning 38 the night prior. It could … Read more