Yadana Saw05:00, May 27 2021
Dom Thomas
Yadana Saw wearing Wellington band Soft Plastics’ t-shirt for new single ‘Loozer’ ahead of Friday’s NZ Music T-Shirt Day. Photograph courtesy of RNZ. Photographer: Dom Thomas.
Who even cares about New Zealand Music Month any more? Every May the poster campaign rolls around. The logo of concentric circles tries to provoke mass hypnosis or brain-altering conversion to the powers of local music.
Some gigs happen. A panel discussion and exhibition here and there. Big box music retailers make a window display. And then, onto June’s awareness month we roll.
Perhaps this ambivalence is the success we should be celebrating. The Aotearoa music ecosystem is at a point where local artists can sell out stadiums, rule the charts and airwaves, and headline festival line-ups. Our artists’ songs appear on international television shows and win global awards. Many acts in diverse genres sustain a career through regular international touring when there isn’t a global pandemic.