New Zealand rock royalty: Boh Runga

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Wikipedia

Boh Runga is the lead singer and guitarist in New Zealand rock band Stellar*.^[1] She comes from a very musical family - both her sisters are, or have been, in bands. She is the eldest of three sisters - her youngest sister, Bic, has a successful solo career, and Pearl has been in several bands in New Zealand.
Boh grew up in New Zealand, the daughter of a Maori ex-serviceman and a Chinese mother who forsook her own singing career in Malaysia to join him in a place she barely knew existed. It wasn't the easiest place to grow up but the Runga household, with Boh leading the way, was bursting to its seams with music.MORE

Via lacerta, haggardassicons did a icon post feat. her. Please follow the house rules over there. Boh Runga singer and guitarist from New Zealand band 'Stellar


stellar* - All It Takes

Stellar* - Violent

Part Of Me - stellar*

She released her first solo album Right Here in Sept 2009


Female Singer Songwriter focused Blog Lyrical Venus ahad an interview 10 Questions with Boh Runga

New Zealand rock royalty Boh Runga spent several successful years fronting her band Stellar, going multi-platinum with their albums and winning eight Tui Awards (NZ Grammys) during their time together.
When Boh decided to record her next album in Los Angeles, she also decide to step out under her own name. The resulting Right Here is full of catchy hooks and rich rock, all threaded through with Boh’s pop-perfect voice.
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1) When did you know you wanted to be a songwriter?
I had always written songs, I started when I was young, and my parents always encouraged me. It wasn’t until I met the right people that I became more confident at fronting a band and performing my own songs.
2) What is your songwriting process like?
It requires a cup of coffee/beer or glass of wine (depending on the time of day and/or the weather) an acoustic guitar or a bass guitar, paper, a pencil and no distractions. My laptop can be useful too when I want to check on a popular phrase or refer to an online dictionary or thesaurus. Inspiration is nice, too.MORE

Boh Runga - Evelyn

Boh Runga - Starfish Sleeping

Boh Runga- Be Careful

Boh Runga & Carly Binding interview on NZOWN

Boh Runga and Carly Binding cover the Crocodiles' classic song, originally a Top 20 hit in NZ in 1980.

Recorded at Roundhead Studios, video directed by Jonathan Brough.


Stellar seems to have finally broken up in oct 2010

Stellar Farewell - Boh Runga Interview

Stellar* have been "showing the bastards what you do" since they first began in Christchurch around 1994, playing their first shows at the Papanui Club.

Now Boh Runga, Chris van de Geer, Andrew Maclaren and Kurt Shanks are saying farewell. After recording one last single together in July, So Alive, and releasing their Best of Stellar* album recently they went on a tour to allow fans to hear their many favourite songs such as Violent, What You Do, Taken, Every Girl and Part Of Me.


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It's easy to forget how many great songs Stellar* have under their belts. Seven Top 20 singles, three Top 10 albums - including two at No 1 spot and endless tours throughout New Zealand, Australia, Germany and the UK. They also have a nice shiny case of New Zealand Music Awards to polish.

At a time when the cultural cringe towards New Zealand music was vividly evident, Stellar* managed five mainstream radio hits in 18 months with Violent, What You Do, Undone, Every Girl, and Part of Me.

"Putting the thing together and listening to the songs again from a different point of view - it was great fun," Runga says of their Best of album.

Flicking through the sleeve art is a blast. It's like watching Runga grow up, from the wild red hair to the sleek style she now sports.

"The artwork I like in particular. It cracks me up. It's all my awesomely bad dress sense from the year dot. It's really fun. It's funny all these old pictures of us."

Why say goodbye now?

"It's been a long time, we've been friends for such a long time and we're still friends after this strange life we've had together. The fact that we still like each other is great. We've been lucky, such lucky people to have that career, to have those songs."

Now Runga has a solo career to take care of.MORE

Stellar on Facebook

Boh Runga's gorgeous jewelry

Boh Runga Website

Sunday, 16 August 2009:Boh Runga's heaven sent

After almost 10 years with Stellar*, who scored numerous Tui Awards and released two chart-topping albums, Runga has released her debut solo CD Right Here.

She admits that even after the band broke up, branching out on her own took some persuasion. "When I was a kid I always imagined myself to be the `doo-wop' girl in the background with two others. I didn't really think about fronting a band, let alone going solo," she says. "Although I guess I am a bit of a show-off."
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