The living lineage: NZ Music month captures the unstoppable wave of Pacific musicians

“It’s real abundant, the chop suey goes into your earballs.”

That’s how award winning singing royalty Annie Crummer describes the state of Pacific influence in Aotearoa’s music industry today.

As New Zealand Music Month | Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa rolls around every May, it is a reminder that Pacific artistry now anchors our sonic identity.

For a trailblazer like Crummer, witnessing the evolution has been joyful, especially since the mainstream landscape she stepped into as a teenager was vastly different.

“Back then, there [weren't] many,” Crummer tells Pacific Days, reflecting on an era when she and pioneers like Moana and the Moa Hunters were first carving out a distinct cultural space.

Her decision to infuse her Cook Islands heritage and Pacific identity into mainstream tracks was entirely instinctive.

“It wasn’t planned to start the way that it does with just the hum of what I think sounds like the ocean,” she says. “I didn’t go, 'oh, I must do something brown there'.”

Today, that unmistakable Pacific warmth has become the definitive canon of the local music scene, earning ultimate institutional validation.

Legendary multi-platinum artist Che Fu’s induction into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame at the Aotearoa Music Awards marks a historic milestone - believed to be the first time a single musician has ever been inducted twice.

Watch Annie Crummer's full interview below.

Cath Andersen, Chief Executive of the NZ Music Commission, believes the Pacific’s influence on the shape of the industry is undeniable.

“I think it defines the sound of Aotearoa in so many ways,” she tells Pacific Mornings. “[Che Fu] really encapsulates the warmth, the sound, and so many things that are great about music in Aotearoa.

Andersen notes that audiences globally are craving this exact cultural authenticity.

"We’re very fortunate that what we have here is a melding, merging…bringing all those different cultures together and really not only listening to them at home but seeing them on the world stage."

Today's emerging Pasifika artists are actively building on the momentum carved out by these industry giants, expanding Pacific representation across entirely new genres.

Watch Cath Andersen's full interview below.

South Auckland singer-songwriter Hales has just released Too Late, a raw alternative R&B track co-produced alongside Edward Liu.

“Been really quiet recently. I’ve been working on a lot of new music as well as figuring out what HALES looks/sounds like moving forward,” Hales shared via social media.

“First time properly co-producing on my own stuff with Edyonthebeat so I hope you guys enjoy this one.”

Meanwhile, Wellington pop/opera singer Lila Jnr has unveiled his debut single, Promise. Lila Jnr tells 13th Floor about the track’s emotional weight.

“Promise is a love song, but it’s also a song about grief.”

As the Aotearoa Music Awards draws nearer to close out NZ Music Month, the Pacific influence remains permanently etched into the musical fabric of Aotearoa.