Death of a Household Name: The End of an Era in NZ Music

Once, it felt like everyone in Aotearoa knew the same few songs. You could chuck on a bit of Stan Walker, Aaradhna, or Six60 at a party, and guaranteed, someone’s aunty, someone’s little cousin, someone’s dad in the corner would start singing along. Their music wasn’t just popular – it was ours. It didn’t matter if you were from the city, the coast, or the wipppity wops of who knows where (yes, even you guys from Morrinsville)… you knew the words. You knew the feeling. 

Now? It’s different. Feels like the era of the true household name is over. 

These artists weren’t trying to fit into a box. They weren’t chasing TikTok trends or trying to land on some random Spotify playlist. They were telling real stories, making music that felt like it came from down the road, and it hit because it was from down the road. 

‘Don’t Forget Your Roots’ wasn’t just a track; it was the unofficial anthem of our childhoods. ‘Getting Stronger’ by Adeaze and Aaradhna had all of us out here fighting heartbreak battles we were way too young to even understand. And Poi E? Look, no one ever sang past “Poi e!” but trust, everyone belted that one line out like it was life or death. 

That’s the thing. It wasn’t just music you liked. It was music you lived. So what exactly changed? Short answer: everything. 

Social media, globalisation, streaming, and the way we consume music now is a completely different beast. Success isn’t about who’s singing along at your local anymore; it’s about who’s clicking on you from halfway across the world. Artists have to think about making something viral before they even finish writing the song. 

You can hear it too. A lot of new music out of NZ sounds… good, technically. Polished. But half the time, you wouldn’t even know it was from here unless you went digging. It’s like we’ve smoothed off all the edges that made our sound ours, just to slot into some massive international playlist called “Chill Vibes 2025” or whatever. 

We used to sound like ourselves. Now, a lot of the time, we sound like everybody else. 

And it’s not a talent problem, if anything, the talent’s crazier than ever. Especially our Māori artists (not to be biased, but it is what it is) Teeks, L.A.B, Te Wehi, Corella, Sammy J, Hori Shaw – justtttt to name a few –  they’re putting out real soul, real story, real life in their music. And it’s not just them either. There’s a whole wave bubbling under the surface, artists doing their thing with heart and hustle. But getting to that point where your music isn’t just a hit but part of everyday life? That’s rare now. 

Maybe it’s because from the jump, artists are told, “If you wanna make it, you gotta sound like them, not like us.” Maybe it’s because we, the listeners, got too busy chasing the next big overseas thing, the next trend, that soundbite that loops over and over, getting you hooked just for the song to be trash, and in turn, we forgot how to back our own. 

But honestly? No more excuses. If we want household names again, if we want songs that aren’t just played, but lived, then it’s on us. We have to be the ones blasting our artists at the parties. Buying the tickets. Streaming the albums. Sharing the tracks like we share every new Drake song. Gassing them up like we gas up everyone else. 

Our music, our stories, our sound – it’s still here. We just have to remember it’s ours to carry. Not just for NZ Music Month. Not just when it’s trendy. Ia rā, ia rā. 

And cause I’m nice like that…here’s some artists that you HAVE to listen to, homegrown baby!