NZ Music Month feels like the right moment to shout about some of the artists coming out of Aotearoa that have been on rotation here at Music and Gigs. From reggae-roots storytellers to indie-pop duos making waves in Seoul and Sydney, the local scene is in genuinely brilliant shape. Here are eight artists we think deserve your attention right now.
Coast Arcade
Auckland four-piece Coast Arcade are the kind of band that makes you remember why guitar music still matters. Fronted by Bella Bavin, whose vocals sit somewhere between raw power and pure pop instinct, the band blend 90s guitar grit with fresh indie hooks and a live show that consistently earns them new fans. Baited hit number three on the Hot NZ Singles Chart, City Limits followed at number eight, and their debut album — released late 2025 — pulls it all together beautifully. They’ve shared stages with The Beths, Peach Pit and Lime Cordiale, and if you haven’t caught them live yet, remedy that.
Cassie Henderson
Christchurch pop artist Cassie Henderson has one of the most remarkable comeback stories in recent New Zealand music. A quarter-finalist on X Factor NZ at fourteen, she stepped away, went to university, had her heart broken, and came back swinging. Whatever dominated NZ airplay for twelve consecutive weeks — a feat not achieved by a female Kiwi artist since Lorde in 2017. She followed it with Seconds To Midnight (11:59), which held number one for fifteen weeks, equalling Lorde’s record. Her Yellow Chapter EP won Best Pop Artist at the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards, she finished as runner-up on The Voice Australia mentored by Melanie C, and the final Blue Chapter of her Chronicles of a Heart Broken trilogy is still to come. She is, quietly, one of the most exciting pop stories in the country.
Foley
Now based in Sydney, Foley — the duo of Ash Wallace and Gabe Everett — have spent the past year touring Australia and Asia while quietly becoming one of Aotearoa’s most beloved indie-pop exports. Their EP Like An Actress, out in February, earned rave reviews internationally, with US site Femmusic calling it one of the best music discoveries of 2026. Single Honey spent four weeks on the Hot 20 Aotearoa Singles Chart, peaking at number one. They’re currently back in New Zealand for their Like An Actress Tour — Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington this week — and if you can get a ticket, go.
Borderline
Auckland four-piece Borderline are barely into their twenties and already operating at a level that most bands spend years working toward. Childhood friends who’ve been playing together since school, their blend of indie rock, funk and pop has earned them BBC Radio 1 Track of the Week, chart success across New Zealand and Australia, and a fanbase that spans the UK and US college radio. New Romance held number one on the Hot Aotearoa Singles chart for fourteen weeks. Most recently, Watching It Burn — a wall of distorted guitars and an epic saxophone solo — confirmed they’re growing in exactly the right direction. One of the most exciting live acts in the country.
Hori Shaw
The story of Hori Shaw is one of the most remarkable in recent New Zealand music. The Ōpōtiki reggae-roots artist was a concreter until a hunting accident left him paralysed and alone for thirteen hours, and the long road back through rehabilitation led him to music. What he’s done since is extraordinary — multiple top forty hits including Back In My Arms which peaked at number one, People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards, and Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2025, which he accepted in his blood-stained crocs and hunting jacket. Raw, real and unapologetically East Coast, Hori Shaw is exactly the kind of artist this country should be celebrating.
Tom Scott
Few artists in Aotearoa carry the kind of weight that Tom Scott does. The Avondale-raised rapper and lyricist has spent two decades at the forefront of New Zealand hip-hop — from Home Brew to @Peace to the jazz-inflected brilliance of Avantdale Bowling Club, whose debut album won the Taite Music Prize in 2019 and was named Album of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards. His first solo album ANITYA, released late 2025, is another evolution entirely — blending progressive soul, dream-pop, ambient R&B and jazz into something raw, personal and unlike anything else in the local scene. It peaked at number four on the New Zealand album charts, hit number one on the Aotearoa albums chart, and earned him a 2026 Taite Music Prize nomination. He’s currently on his Self Untitled tour. The Spinoff called him New Zealand hip-hop’s finest storyteller, and it’s hard to argue.
Drax Project
Wellington four-piece Drax Project have been building their international profile for years, and 2026 feels like the moment it all comes together. Known for their saxophone-led blend of pop, R&B and electronic music, the band have racked up hundreds of millions of streams globally and built a fanbase that stretches well beyond New Zealand. Their live show is one of the most polished and energetic in the country, and with Eden Park on the horizon later this year, the trajectory is undeniable.
Six60
Few New Zealand acts have built the kind of domestic institution that Six60 represent. The Auckland band have sold out Eden Park multiple times — a feat that puts them in extraordinarily rare company — and their blend of reggae, rock and soul continues to resonate across generations. They are the benchmark for what it means to make it as a New Zealand artist on home soil, and their influence on the generation of acts coming up behind them is hard to overstate. If you haven’t seen them live, that needs to change.
For everything happening across NZ Music Month 2026 — events, initiatives and key releases see our article here.
0 Comments