Interviews & Reviews
2005 Media Interviews - BIRDs
A summary of interviews for the BIRD's album released 28 November, 2005 in New Zealand can be found here.
2004 Media Articles
A summary of media articles for 2004 can be found here
10 June, 2003
Bic Turns Record Exec
Bic has established her own record label, Nu Shoo Records, and has signed her first artist. Read the full story from Undercover Media on the Nu Shoo page.
7 April 2003
Bic's his pick
The latest update on the Runga family happenings from the New Zealand Sunday Star Times, in the ABOUTtown column.
Top Albums of 2002
Bic featured in the NZ Heralds "Top Albums of 2002" list at no. 14. Check out the list here.
NZ Tour 2002 Media
For interviews published around the NZ Tour 2002, check out the 2002 NZ Tour Media page.
Beautiful Collision Media Coverage
For Interviews published around the time of the "Beautiful Collision" album, check out the "Collision Media" page.
New Zealand Musician magazine
April, 1997
"Getting the Bic Idea"
Andrew Polson
An interview with Bic on the production of the album
Drive
"The sound I'm going for on this album has been pretty clear to me for the last four years. It's going to be really dark because there ain't many happy songs; and it's going to be really sparse. I write off most music I hear because it's just too busy. I like space - lots of space. I like snappy snares - hate deep snares; and I'm really fascinated by the difference between a loop and a real drummer - drums that sound like loops but aren't loops. When you've got a loop going and go back to the button to stop it, rather than doing a big (drum fill noise), like a drummer would, it just stops. I'm really interested in what that does to the song."
New Zealand Music Press magazine
Issue 15, December 1997
"Orient Express"
Andrew Polson
An interview with Bic on the tour of Asia at the start of her world tour.
"I was just beginning to really enjoy myself in New Zealand," says Runga. "Now I'm in Singapore and I'm a
big fat nobody! Its funny because when you're growing up you have this image of what it will be like to have a hit
record. You think about the fame, the fans... but in
reality it's a lot of hard work. I just keep telling myself it's going to be worth it."
Evening Post, Wellington, NZ
August, 2000
"Drive Time"
by Cammiel Parrish
An interview with Bic just prior to the Finn-Runga-Dobbyn national tour of New Zealand
“I don’t know how suitable it is for me to be performing with these two guys, because they are really my heroes, it’s like a dream come true, it really is.” ..Bic Runga, August 2000
NEW ZEALAND'S MILLENNIUM STRIKES MUSICAL NOTE
New Zealand Millenium Office
15 October, 1999
Website:
http://www.millennium.govt.nz/news/thetimes.html#musicalnote
New Zealand’s official millennium song, I’ll Meet You There, goes on sale in music stores around the country today.
The song, performed by Pearl Runga and Brett Sawyer with words and music by James Hall and Boh Runga, has been written especially for TV3 and the New Zealand Millennium Offices ‘First to the Future’ marketing campaign.
Captions Of Industry website, Music Journalism section.
January / February, 1999.
Website: http://www.hardshipposting.com/music/Songsmith-9901.html
"Drive She Said"
Stuart Lloyd
Sydney-based writer Stuart Lloyd recently caught up with young New Zealand singer/songwriter Bic Runga, mid-way through her east-coast summer tour. Bic's debut album Drive featured the gold-selling single, Sway. He talks to her about her approach to songwriting which has brought her to the attention of respected craftsmen such as Paul Kelly and Neil Finn.
The Making of The Strawpeople Album "No New Messages"
Website: www.strawpeople.co.nz
the
making of no new messages
Paul Casserly
A 14 minute documentary on the making of
no new messages. created by paul casserly.
-features greg johnson, bic runga, joost langeveld, stephanie tauevihi, victoria
kelly, leza corban, michelle crompton, stacey edwards, ted brown and paul
casserly.
Click
here to view the video clip link from the Strawpeople website.
requires realplayer G2 or 7.0. running length 14:11
Website: http://www.westnet.com/consumable/1998/08.05/intrunga.html
Interview
of Bic Runga
Bob Garjarsky
"When I had my first top 10 single ("Drive"),
I was still working in a shoe shop," recalls Runga. "The public in New
Zealand didn't realise how little money there was in music; when they saw me on
the bus (and in the shop), there was some confusion about me. However, the
humble start is good for the soul and ego."
Kink FM 102 interview
Website: http://www.kinkfm102.com/artists/interviews/bicrunga.html
Note: Interview no longer appears
at the original website
Bic Runga live in Kink's
Performance Studio.
Cindy Hanson, Kink FM102
"A lot of the images and the lyrics are quite domestic. I don't really do much but hanging out at home and writing songs. I guess that's where my inspiration comes from. Words like, "kitchen sink" are in my songs a lot".
Music & Media Business News
Issue 194
8 February, 2001
Web page: http://www.immedia.com.au/im_m/archive/000208-194/eliezer.html
Hey Mate, Dat's My Music
Their Playing
Christie Eliezer
"There were 26 Australasian entries in the Top 100 - two of these were from New Zealand, with Neil Finn at #60 with "She Will Have Her Way" and #78 with "Sinner", and Bic Runga at #14 with "Sway". Some of the Australians were multi-placed."
Bic Runga Interview with Campbell Smith
Bic Runga Official Website
6 April, 2000
Website: www.bicrunga.com/studio.html
All About The New Album...
Campbell Smith (Bic's Manager)
"Ah, it'll be quote different to
Drive, most of Drive was written when I was about you know, 19, so ah, and I've
done a lot of things between 19 and 24, I’ve seen the world, and I've just sort of grown up so it'll, it'll be a, I think it'll be a better record."
RIP IT UP MAGAZINE
NZ
Top 100 - 2000
Stephen Hogg
"There's little that can be said that hasn't already been said about the talent of Bic Runga, an undisputed angel of light, thrust into the media spotlight when she'd probably rather just carry on quietly writing absolutely pure, superlative pop songs and then getting on with normal things. Unfortunately, with a rare talent this huge that has pervaded every New Zealand home at some point over the last 2-3 years, that's not really going to happen".
BBC Radio2
28 March, 2001
Interview
With Janice Long of BBC Radio 2
Janice Long
Link to interview audio (RealPlayer):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/realmedia/janicel_bb25_g2.ram
"I started playing the guitar when I was about 14, you know, and like most people who learnt to play the guitar at 14, they try to write songs in their bedroom, so yeah, no, it was just kinda that process.
I love songwriting, I love lyrics and um, yeah, and all that sort of stuff."
Launch.com
14 August, 1998
From Shoeseller to Songstress.
David John Farinella
Web site: http://www.launch.com/music/content/1,5850,157700,00.html?vo=
"I think success for me is a long-term career. Music is something I can't help but doing, and if I had a No. 1 album next week it really wouldn't leave anywhere for me to go. I just want to keep learning and making records that I'm happy with, rather than making records that I think will sell."
APRA Awards 2001 judging is under way, and Drive, the album, comes in at # 21. See the full report.
Chatterbox column in the 22 September, 2001 edition of the NZ Herald reports on album progress by Bic, with comments from Campbell Smith, in "The next Bic thing?" article.