THAT WAS THEN...                                                            THIS IS NOW !

"The only thing shocking about New Zealand band stellar*s impending success is lead singer Boh Runga’s flaming red hair" (Pavement). They may look good, have a warm personality and a down to earth approach but what it all comes down to is that they write some of the finest pop music this country has ever produced.

stellar* are: Boh Runga (vocals/guitar), Andrew Maclaren (drums), Chris van de Geer (guitar) and Kurt Shanks (bass).

stellar* has a wealth of in-band production talent in guitarist Chris van de Geer, who’s also an award-winning sound engineer. They've got technology-friendly Andrew MacLaren behind the kit, the band’s  feel-meister/programmer. In conjunction with Kurt Shanks’ propulsive, earthy bass, they've got a rhythm section you could build a house on.

Last, but by no means least, they've got the impressive writing, vocal and guitar-slinging talents of the almost criminally good-looking Boh Runga, a young woman who regularly generates the sort of curbside teen adulation usually reserved for international rock royalty.

stellar* formed in 1994 after Boh and Andrew moved from Christchurch to Auckland, where they met Chris and Kurt. They released a couple of independent singles in 1995 and 1996 and built a steady following with their powerful live shows.

In late ’97 they headed to the studio to begin recording their debut album for independent release. After a chance meeting on an airplane between Boh and Sony Music New Zealand’s MD Michael Glading, the band got to play Glading some of their new songs. After hearing five of the finished tracks, he quickly signed the band.

Since that time stellar* has spent the best part of a year recording their album with 80’s pop superstar, Tom Bailey  (The Thompson Twins). With Tom’s influence, stellar* has moved away from a traditional guitar pop approach into more interesting territory:

"We haven’t set out saying we have to merge guitars with technology, but by experimenting in the studio we’ve found that the songs often take on a new angle with keyboards or a looped drum beat," Andrew.

The first single, What You Do (Bastard), released in late ‘98, was immediately embraced by radio nationwide, reached the Top 15 in the national sales chart and became a huge live favorite last summer. "It’s direct, a bit confrontational and as catchy as hell," NZ Musician.

However, stellar* suggest that What You Do is far from the full picture of what the band are about. "Each song on the album will be distinctly different, but as a whole the album will have a cohesiveness to it," says Boh. "The album won’t be as rocky as What You Do indicates, because there are many sides to stellar*, which float to the surface at different times.

At the 1999 New Zealand Music Awards, after the release of What You Do, Boh won MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST and stellar* won MOST PROMISING NEW GROUP. The band sang their new single live at the awards.

Part Of Me, the second single, was released in March 99, and went on to become one of the biggest multi-format hits in the country this year. It peaked at #4 on the national singles chart and remains in the chart after more than two months. "Part Of Me, is perfectly structured, classically built and effortlessly executed. Runga is playful, snarling, touching and gifted with silkened vocal chords. Part of Me is pop at its most intelligent" Christchurch Star

After the release of just two singles on Sony, stellar* have become one of the biggest bands in the country. And after playing some scorching shows around the country over the summer of 1998/99, stellar* impressed an increasingly larger and adoring audience, squashing any suspicion that they were simply studio bound wizards.

In an unprecedented blaze of media exposure via TV, radio, and virtually every relevant print medium going, culminating in a dizzyingly rapid ascent to the top, they have joined that small bracket of New Zealand artists who can unequivocally cut it with the best the world has to offer.

The third single, Violent, an upbeat rockin’ pop song with a hook as big as Ben Hur, was released to radio in late June. After a whirlwind fortnight, every major station in the country had added the track. Violent is shaping up to be stellar*s biggest hit to date.

stellar*s debut album MIX, (released on August 2nd 1999) is one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year. On MIX, stellar* combine classic pop melodies with a lush, full-blooded electronic swooshfest. They are New Zealand’s own pop heroes. 1999 will be a stellar* year.

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Last updated 21-01-00