2005 / 2006 Media Articles - BIRD's
Bic Runga - Birds / Say After Me
3 March, 2006
"Bic Runga’s first two albums “Drive” and “Beautiful Collision”
are collectively 18 times Platinum and both entered the New Zealand Chart at #1.
Her third album “Birds” released in the UK on the 8th May is her third
consecutive #1 album and is already certified platinum.
Female singer songwriters dominated the charts in 2005 with the overnight
success of KT Tunstall, Katie Melua’s outstanding record sales and the long
overdue return of Kate Bush. Bic Runga might well be the success story of 2006,
her first two albums received huge critical acclaim in the UK and her last album
“Beautiful Collision” was hailed as one of the best album of the year in Mojo
and Uncut in their end of year round ups as did Sunday Times Culture in 2004."
For a copy of this article, go here.
Kiwi's a bird of paradise
5 March, 2006
Sally Browne
"SHE'S the best selling New Zealand artist
– and, yes, that includes Crowded House – and her songs have even appeared on
karaoke games. But ask 30-year-old Bic Runga about her success and she'll shrug
it off modestly.
Best-selling singer/songwriter Bic Runga's new album tells of fallen beauty and
love and is inspired by the strange feathered species of her country. She spoke
to "Wacky, hey?" she says of the "best-selling" title. "I don't really think
much about it." "
For a copy of this article, go here.
Sydney Morning Herald
Big voice in a small world
A question: who ranks as the highest-selling New Zealand artist ever? Is it a) Neil Finn; b) Tim Finn; c) Russell Crowe; or d) Bic Runga?
The answer is Runga, a songbird as big in her homeland as she is small outside it. She's not the winner of some overhyped talent quest such as Kiwi Idol; instead, she's a talented singer-songwriter with a beautiful voice and a knack for writing lilting, catchy melodies. Tellingly, she has a big fan in Neil Finn and many more fans at her record label, Sony.
For a copy of this article, go here.
On Darker Wings of Song
20 February, 2006
New Zealander Bic Runga's latest album is a haunting mix of heartbreak, hope and nostalgia
With a voice as pure as birdsong, she has soared to the top of the charts, becoming New Zealand's biggest-selling female artist. No, we're not talking about Hayley Westenra, the Wellington schoolgirl who took Amazing Grace to Enya-like heights, but the exotic musical hybrid that is Bic Runga. In 2002, a year before Westenra hit her high notes, this Maori-Chinese singer-songwriter took the simple guitar hooks of Drive to a new level with Beautiful Collision, an album in which she exploded genres - from folk to rock to country - with the glassy resonance of her voice. So it's strange to find her latest release, Birds, darker and scuzzier sounding, as if it were an original '60s session tape rediscovered in an old suitcase.
For a copy of this article, go here.
New Mood takes wing for Runga
31 December, 2005
"Bic Runga wins our album of the year for her third
long-player, Birds. I talked to the singer/songwriter about her topsy-turvy
year.
Congratulations. You've earned the prestigious award of TimeOut Album of
the Year.
Oh, thanks, that's really nice. But it was the players that made the album. Some
of them are my heroes. Like Shayne [Carter]. He's so insightful, he never says
anything that's not deep. The backing vocalists had a lot to do with making the
songs sound more complete. And Neil [Finn] added a lot of musical segues, like
piano. My other albums don't really have solos. "
For a copy of this article, go here.
Bic Runga's new album set to soar
25 November 2005"New Zealand songbird Bic Runga crafted her new album backed up by an ensemble of talented New Zealand musicians. She talks to Hannah Lawrence about coming home and being guided by greater forces.
This year has been one of both loss and creation for Bic Runga.
After almost two years living in Paris, Runga returned to New Zealand last summer, but her homecoming ended on a sad note with the death of her father Joe early this year.
Soon after she embarked on a world tour with Neil and Tim Finn, and it was during that tour that Runga's third album Birds - to be released on November 28 - got its wings."
For a copy of this article, go here.