Spark and Spotify join forces to launch new home-grown Aotearoa music show ‘Noise Control’

Spark and Spotify are working in collaboration to support the launch of a first of its kind Aotearoa music show called Noise Control that brings New Zealanders closer than ever before to the musicians they love including Troy Kingi, Coterie, CHAII and Paige.

With the dual purpose of elevating local talent across Aotearoa’s music scene and getting Kiwis closer to the music they love, Noise Control presents 10 live music shows in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) hosted by up-and-coming DJ duo, The Katayanagi Twins. 

Filmed in front of a live audience as an in-studio music show, Spark customers will have the chance to hear iconic tracks from the vibrant and dynamic world of Aotearoa music in an intimate setting, followed by a Q&A styled chat with top New Zealand musicians as they talk about their journeys into music.

Matt Bain, Spark Marketing Director says: “Noise Control is a natural evolution of Spark Sessions – a series of streamed events featuring Kiwi artists such as Mitch James and Kimbra - first delivered to our customers online during the COVID19 lockdowns.

“Through our support for Noise Control, we can now build on our Spark Sessions to offer our customers an in-person, VIP experience with the chance to get up-close with some of their local music idols and potentially discover some new homegrown beats. 

“We first partnered with Spotify back in 2014 to offer our customers added value on their plans. It’s exciting to come together again to celebrate the very best of New Zealand’s diverse local music, and again offer epic experiences to our customers.”

Rosie Rothery, Spotify Head of Marketing for Australia and New Zealand says: “Born from Spark and Spotify's shared passion for uplifting diverse emerging Kiwi musicians, we believe the immersive showcase that is Noise Control is the perfect platform to celebrate local artists, their stories and the magic they create both on the stage and off. In collaboration with an exceptional lineup of partners, we are thrilled to create this hyper-local experience, allowing fans to deepen their love for homegrown artists."

Vishal Vasan, Co-Founder of Noise Control and Managing Director & Owner of W1 who will be producing and running the shows says: “What sets Noise Control apart is its dedication to unfiltered, raw live music. We believe that the magic of Aotearoa music lies in its authenticity, and we want to share that with Aotearoa.”

Spark & Spotify worked with the major labels of Universal Music, Warner, and Sony to create a diverse mix of talent for the show. From established artists like SWIDT to artists breaking through like There’s a Tuesday, Noise Control presents an exciting range of musicians with never-before-heard stories from their journey into music. 

James Moore, Fish Entertainment Managing Director and Noise Control Executive Producer says: “Forget about grades and filters, and get ready for a thrilling ride filled with unforgettable performances, great segments, and still-to-be-discovered gems. Produced with a polished rawness that captures the true essence of Kiwi music, Noise Control is a must-watch for anyone who loves music.”

Spark customers will be able to enter the draw to win tickets to the exclusive live Noise Control shows by visiting spark.co.nz/music and can watch the shows on-demand at stuff.co.nz from 24 August 2023. 

Notes to editor: 

Noise Control is a collaboration between Spark, Spotify, W1, AO Studios, Fish Entertainment Productions and Stuff. 

Artists to appear on the show include:

Hosts: The Katayanagi Twins – Rain and China 

Rain and China are making a name for themselves in culture. They are true disruptors who play and work in the music and fashion industries. Playing at events, festivals and with a residency at Culture Kings, they’ve garnered a strong following within the New Zealand music scene. They bring to the show energy, music knowledge and their own good tunes to entertain the crowd. They will interview the artists and get the stories that our audiences want to hear.

Melodownz

Bronson Price, known professionally as Melodownz, is a New Zealand MC, rapper and urban poet from Avondale, Auckland. Debuting in 2013, Melodownz has released solo projects including Beginners Luck (2014), Avontales (2017) and Melo & Blues (2018), as well as collaborative extended plays with Angelo King, IllBaz and Raiza Biza. https://www.instagram.com/melodownz/?hl=en 

Chaii 

Persian-Kiwi rapper CHAII has carved out a corner in the hip hop scene that is fresh, diverse and extremely exciting, drawing from her Iranian heritage as well as the multi-faceted and multi-cultural world of hip hop burgeoning in Australia and New Zealand. A rapper, producer, engineer and director, CHAII's Lightswitch visual EP is a masterclass in showing us an artist that can do it all. She self-directed and produced all the visuals on the EP, filmed guerilla-style between California (where a large portion of her Persian family lives) and Oman. https://chaiimusic.com/

Riiki Reid 

Raquel Abolins-Reid, or RIIKI REID, has lived in Wellington her entire life and has always been immersed and captivated by the arts – be that dance, music or acting. Prior to focussing on her music, RIIKKI was part of a hip hop dance crew and had been teaching dance since 2015 at Pump Dance Studios while studying commercial music at Massey University. In 2019 she released her first project RIIKKI, which produced the sugary, indie pop ear worm “High Heights” that went on to rack up over 3.3 million streams. Launching her new project RIIKI REID at the start of 2022 marked an exciting new chapter, which saw RIIKI combine her knowledge of music and movement to create catchy and intriguing music influenced by a range of genres. https://www.riikireid.com/

Emma Dilemma

Emma Dilemma hails from Christchurch, and after spending most of her musical career performing in rock bands, 2021 saw her take the first steps into sharing her own unique perspectives on life through her own music. The self-described ‘patron saint of self-sabotage’ combines her penchant for viewing life through an absurdist lens with her love for melody and storytelling to create genre-morphing music that doesn’t take itself too seriously. https://emmadilemma.org/

Paige 

Paige is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Auckland, who has won the world over with her honest and heartfelt songs.  In 2020, she released her EP, ALWAYS GROWING, which included the singles ‘Bloom’, ‘Yellow’, ‘Too Much To H8’ and ‘Waves’. The EP dominated the NZ Official Charts with ‘Waves’ hitting top 10 radio airplay in New Zealand. It helped to establish Paige as one of the country’s most exciting new artists and earned her two nominations at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards for ‘Pop Artist of the Year’ and ‘Breakthrough Artist’. She also released two songs as part of the 2021 Waiata Anthems movement. In 2021, Paige’s achievements were recognised when she won the award for ‘Best Māori Female Solo Artist’ at the Waiata Māori Music Awards. https://www.paiges.space/

Coterie 

Coterie, the band of four brothers, encompasses an authenticity often lost in modern music, their records telling lyrical stories drawn from real-life experience and using melodically rich vocals to bring a raw narrative heat to the songs. Immersed in a world of surf and art, the band has developed a unique blend of soulful rock music with perfect four-part harmonies that have audiences demanding more. The brothers first broke the New Zealand market in 2022 with their Platinum hit ‘Cool It Down’ which achieved #1 on the Radioscope NZ airplay chart. Last year, Coterie won Songwriters of the Year at the Waiata Māori Music Awards and were nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards and Best New Zealand Act at the MTV EMAs. Their 2022 debut self-titled album has achieved Gold and seen 18 weeks Top 5 in the NZ album charts to date. https://www.instagram.com/coterieband/?hl=en

Troy Kingi 

Troy Kingi (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) is a multi-award winning, multi-genre musician and actor. Described by the New Zealand Music Commission as “Our Northland Treasure”, Kingi rose to fame after the release of his first two multi-award winning albums which included ‘Guitar Party at Uncle’s Bach’, along with memorable acting roles in Kiwi films including ‘Hunt For The Wilderpeople’, ‘The Pā Boys’ and 'Mt Zion’. Over and above his love for acting, Kingi’s passion for music has led to a successful and ever-expanding artistic career. He is a prolific songwriter and serial collaborator, with voracious capacity and freakish efficiency. https://www.troykingi.com/

Muroki 

Coromandel born but residing in Raglan since he was a kid, Muroki has always lived near the waves — a defining backdrop to this 21 year-old sound. It’s a sound that caught the ear of Benee. She played the mesmeric ‘For Better Or Worse’ on Elton John’s radio show and he is the first signing to her new Olive Music label with single ‘Light Me Up’ due out imminently. He started learning guitar as an 8-year-old, and with the guidance of his blind guitar teacher, he’s been on a unique journey with his craft ever since. His multi-faceted silky and rhythmic grooves have strong ties to his surfing background, blending sounds from South America to Africa (Muroki’s of Kenyan descent himself) and back to the West. But it’s really Muroki’s vocal ability that will have your undivided attention — his voice is a smooth and hypnotic instrument effortlessly caressing melodies to melt even the toughest of us. https://www.murokimusic.com/

SWIDT 

SWIDT entered the music scene with their single and video No More Parties in Onehunga in 2016. They’ve achieved over 100,000 views for their independently released videos, including the neighbourhood anthem 312, Baby, Baby (OOOHHH) which featured in the film Pork Pie. They are comprised of five members: producer SmokeyGotBeatz, rap duo SPYCC and INF, JAMAL and Boomer-Tha-GOD. The crew's album, SmokeyGotBeatz Presents SWIDT vs Everybody was nominated for the Critic’s Choice Award and won the Best Urban Hip-Hop Album of the year at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards. SWIDT’s Stoneyhunga album, released in July 2017, debuted at number one on iTunes. Onehunga has nurtured some of the best Aotearoa rap and hip-hop for over a decade, a legacy of style and lyricism which continues with this new collective. https://www.instagram.com/swidtmusic/?hl=en

There’s a Tuesday 

There’s A Tuesday is settling in as one of Aotearoa’s freshest dream-pop bands. The four-piece is fronted by Nat Hutton and Minnie Robberds on vocals and guitar, alongside Gus Murray on drums and Joel Becker on bass, and diversifies the local music scene with a charisma that’s so well championed by their imaginative lyrics and melodious pop-infused tunes. https://theresatuesday.com/