After receiving almost every musical honour in New
Zealand,
Bic Runga – our own fashionable music icon –
continues her unparalleled career. Recently chosen as one of five finalists for
the top Silver Scroll songwriting award, Bic once again
proves that her creativity knows no bounds.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of
her first album,
Drive, Bic will enchant audiences with a special performance of the entire
recording, her first of many multi-platinum records. The second half of the evening will feature selected hits and
hand-picked gems from her many other releases, with accompaniment from very
special guests.
Bic Runga is an ambassador for the Maia Health Foundation,
based in Christchurch, raising money for Canterbury’s health system. Bic is
donating $5 from each ticket sold at the Christchurch concert to Maia.
“It is such a privilege and pleasure for the Māia
Health Foundation to be able to work with Bic and to celebrate this concert
with her. Bic is an amazing ambassador of Māia’s and with her support we are
helping fund much needed enhancement projects within our health system,” says Michael Flatman, Chief Executive, Maia Health Foundation
An Evening with Bic Runga
and
Special Guests:
A
Celebration of Drive
Friday 20th October
Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch
Thursday 2nd November
Civic Theatre, Auckland
Friday 3rd November
Opera House, Wellington
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Bic Runga - Sway |
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Bic Runga’s captivating voice and songs have been woven into the musical fabric
of New Zealand. Bic’s first album,
Drive, has gone platinum 11
times. Her next two studio albums also achieved platinum status:
Beautiful
Collision (10x Platinum),
Birds (3x
Platinum). Critically acclaimed
Belle and
Close Your
Eyes followed after a hiatus, and demonstrate Bic's
unfaltering vocal talents and songwriting abilities.
Bic has been awarded almost every musical honour a Kiwi could receive – a
Silver Scroll for
Sway; 20 Tui awards (the most won by one person); bestowed
with an Order of Merit by the Queen; in 2016 both inducted into the New Zealand
Hall of Fame and granted a New Zealand Herald Legacy Award. In August, 2017,
She was one of five female nominees nominated for a Silver Scroll songwriting
award for the song
Close Your Eyes, the title track of her latest record.
Always stylish, Bic is the queen of cool, her fans transcending generations,
admired by those who have watched her grow up as well as those who have grown
up watching her. Bic’s success has paved the way for many other Kiwi female
musicians; Nadia Reid has described Bic’s voice as “pure, clear, wise, and
melancholic.”
“Bic
Runga is one of New Zealand’s most lauded artists, a singer-songwriter with a
natural flair for words and melody, and a voice that defies age or current
musical fashions.” Amanda Mills,
Audio Culture Drive was released
in August 1997 and received widespread popular acclaim. The
album featured seven singles, including
Drive and
Suddenly Strange,
making it one of the most iconic albums in New Zealand history.
Drive also
secured the New Zealand Music Award for Album of the Year after going seven
times platinum.
To commemorate this 20-year celebration, Sony has re-released Bic Runga's debut
album
Drivewith bonus tracks, including the original single mix of one of its most famous
songs,
Sway.
Arguably the most prolific track from the album was
Sway, and one
which, two decades on, remains top of many people's list of homegrown
favourites.
Sway received plaudits at the New Zealand Music Awards
with a trio of nods for 'Single of the Year', 'Best Songwriter' and 'Best
Engineer' for Simon Sheridan. Fun fact:
Sway has been covered by singers
throughout East Asia to attract viewers to their respective YouTube channels.
Extra tracks on the 20th Anniversary version of Drive are:Dust (from the
Hey CD single)
All Fall Down (from the
Suddenly Strange CD single)
Close The Door, Put Out The Light (from the
Hey CD single)
Sway (original single mix)
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