January 15, 2026 • 12 mins
For many, Six60 is an undeniable part of the New Zealand summer soundscape.
Their classics such as ‘Don’t Forget Your Roots’, ‘The Greatest’, and ‘Please Don’t Go’ are a staple of every backyard barbeque summer get together, and soon a few new songs will be joining the playlists.
Their fifth studio album ‘Right Here Right Now’ is set to be released in February, but two new singles are already available.
Frontman Matiu Walters told Andrew Dickens that hands down, it’s their best music ever.
“Quite often music can get quite tedious and boring if you’re just trying to plough through it all.”
“But the time feels right and we have some stories to tell, and it’s all captured in this new album and this new music.”
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from news Talks Be follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
I'm sure you recognize the voice. It's the voice of
Matthew Walters from six sixty, the Kiwi King of Summer.
I mean, you've got to say six sixty have now
did over the last decade. Don't forget your roots the greatest.
Please don't go. They will be playing out of every
UIY boom and every backyard bat around the country, as
they do every summer they do stadium gigs, but as
(00:47):
a special treat, Matchew and the band have given us
two brand new songs to sing along to this year,
released today, and they have a newly announced album on
the way, and Matthew Walters joins me, Now, hello, Mattchu,
I'm good. So you're coming out of your coma, are
you and actually starting to do some work.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Yeah, There's been a while since release of new music,
but I'm really excited about this next project, this new album,
these new songs and Y's sixty some of.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Is it fair to say that six sixty had extreme
success and then managed to move it on to another
level And that started when you played the very first
concert at Eden Park and that was like fifty thousand,
where you became a band that actually played to big
stadium crowds of fifty thousand people. That after that you
(01:37):
had to sort of what's happened after that is you've
had to stop and sort of reassess and maybe take
a breath and get your head back in order. And
now you're starting with the new vigor.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
Well, I've always had stuff to do, mate, life to live,
started making some babies, got a little bit busy, and
you know, Imtate's life, and I think quite often, you know,
you need to take a pause and take time and actually.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Load up the chambers. You have some things to write
music about. It's quite often news can get quite quite
tenious and boring if you're just trying to plow through
it all. But the time feels right and we have
some stories to tell and it's all captured on this
new album and this new music, which look, I just think,
hands down, it's our best music ever.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Come off at come off a number of times I've
heard that from some artists. Well, the new album is
the best album I've ever done. I mean, I know
what you're trying to do, but we'll be the judge
of that, Matchew Walters. We'll talk about the new music
in a few moments time. But I want to mention
Don't Forget Your Roots. The song it's fifteen years old
this year. That's amazing. So it's a timeless hit. So
(02:47):
what do you think it's magic is?
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Honestly, I don't know. There's not a lot of thought
really you put into hell the songs, at least especially
when you start out. You know, we're just excited and
amazed that we're actually doing it. And you write a
song and you tell some stories about your what's going
on in your life at the time, and you know,
we had no intention of of a song becoming a classic,
let alone being a band for fifteen years. And I
(03:14):
just think it tells a really true story about a
lot of things that kiwis feel with. You know, a
lot of our lot of us. Part of becoming a
Kiwi is living New Zealand, you know, and realizing how
good it is here. So I think it's a story
everyone here can relate to.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
I was a Metallica and Metallica decided to do a
cover version of Don't Forget Your Roots how much of
a pinchby moment was that?
Speaker 4 (03:38):
That was honestly credib believe I had to listen to
it a couple of times. I was I was in
a lounge in an airport somewhere, so I missed it,
but some of the boys were there, and look, my
phone just started blowing up, people saying, no way, dude,
Metallica's butchering your song. You should and they did.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
They totally butchered it, which is either a sign that
the song is actually quite hard to play or whatever,
or you need to be in a certain headspace. But
it was just it was just a bass player and
the drummer and Will while the other two guys, you know,
went off for a bit of a break and to
change your clothes or whatever. They have a cigarette, actually
probably have a cigar, so whatever. But yeah, they took
they completely butchered it. Mate, I'm so sorry, But sir,
(04:16):
how good was it to have that happen? How do
you feel about the fact that the Prime Minister has
your music on his twenty twenty six playlist.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
That's super cool. Man's got good tastes of music. I'll
give him that.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Much, okay, And what happens to you when you're just
at a social function and then six sixty comes on.
Do you sort of do you hide behind behind a
chair or do you sit there and go yo, bro?
That is me.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Oh, I don't know what it is about, Like about
people when you go into a cafe or a restaurant
and they subtly notice you and they think that it's
a good idea to put on your music. But it
can be the most awkward thing, like a rather people
just come and say hi, but they slip on the
music and then I have to sit there with my
family eating my eggs benedict while they're playing like a
song I wrote tenny notes. It's so awkward, but you
(05:04):
just learn to roll with it. Now, you just learn
to roll with it.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Oh, it's a tough life being so very very very famous. Indeed, yeah,
there we go. So oh you guys also do other activities,
don't you, I mean having your own gyms and clothing labels.
Do you still have sort of you know, the backups?
Speaker 6 (05:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:24):
I think we kind of like we we've taken every
opportunity that's come our way, you know, and music is is,
you know, it's not who we are I suppose it's
what we do and we have a lot of other
interests outside of it, and I mean, we just really
want to do cool stuff.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
You know.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
We love we love sport, we love music, we love fashion,
we love it all. And if life short, so if
we can have a kind of put our fingers a
lot of pies, that that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I'll tell you what's short one of your songs. It's
one minute and fifty seven seconds. We're going to play it,
so we'll have to take a break at a few
others time. However, I've got one more question. You've got
a big gig still to come, and you were playing symphony.
So this is where, of course, someone writes up a
symphonic score of your music and then you come along
and you played with an entire orchestra. Now how much
of a buzz is that? And how difficult is it?
Speaker 4 (06:14):
Honestly, it's surprisingly easy. Like I don't have to do
any of that work scoring the music. I just show
up and sing like I usually do. So someone's doing
a lot of work, and when you play live, it
just feels really powerful. So you actually like it's hard
not to be emotional and be lifted and getting obviously
getting an orchestra behind you playing your songs is pretty powerful.
(06:35):
And doing that opening the stadium down and crostets is
a huge It's a huge night, a huge accomplishment. And
I would say you go to your tickets, but there's
none left, so you can stand a parking bigs.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Do you ever get sick of selling out gigs? No,
of course you don't want Definitely, what a stupid question
that was. Okay, Matt to the fifth album, it's called
right Here Right Now? Have you you've stolen that from
the Chemical Brothers.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Hey, he told you that.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I told myself that.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
It's a song off the It's a song. The last
song on the album is called right Here Right Now
and just perfectly captures the whole vibe of the record.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
You know, all right? Basically, well, what is the vibe
of the record? I mean when you write a record,
when you when you put together a host of songs
that comes out as a record, do you put them
together under a theme, under under a broad canopy, or
is it just whatever comes to mind and then you
plunk them on an album whenever?
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Honestly, it's a little bit of both, and every every
album a little bit different, but you kind of start
with some guiding principles, I suppose, and this album maybe
was feeling nostalgic or whatever, but we just really were
leaning into our roots reggae origins. You know, everything about
New Zealand music that we fell in love with when
we were just a bunch of boys down in dun Eden.
(07:52):
So you can definitely hear that that roots reggae influence
coming through in the music, and we definitely wanted it
to be feel very live.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
You know.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
All the recordings are just single takes, live in the studio,
single take vocals.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
That was my next question. You recorded the whole say,
each track has been recorded live, and that's a great
pressure on you. Presumably you can do some overdubs afterwards
and fix it in the mix, you know, but just
to sit there and have that moment in time captured
it is a very special thing but a very hard
thing to do.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
Honestly, it's a lot easier and maybe we're unique where
we're unique as a band, but you know, you can
really easily fall into you know, like paralysis by analysis,
and given extra time, you just kind of use it.
And we're good sprinters, so you know, once we did
wrote the songs and kind of did all the preparation,
it was just be in the moment, which again is
why the title right here, right now makes so much sense.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I see the quote from your press release is saying
we are at the top of your game, which is
a very humble statement. But do you feel you are
at that? You feel you are at the top of
your game?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Oh, I mean every time, I feel like we are
at our prime. What's cool now is we have the
benefit of like having a history and have learned so
much of the fifteen years. So, like you know, you
told me off before, but I wasn't just saying that that.
I think this is the best music that we've ever
that we've ever had. I mean I can say that
too because I mean, of course everyone can make their
(09:19):
own minds up, but I know that was the most
fun we've had since the first album. That and that's
that can say a lot for how music comes out.
So cool and this is a lot of life in
the songs.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
You know, well, you've done that, You've done so well, mate,
I mean, your debut is thirteen times platinum. I mean
that's just that's breathtaking. Really, You've done so well, you've
made so many people so happy. And I'm going to
play a song and it's from the album. It's called
We Are All Kings and it's released today. The album
comes out in February. And what I noted about this
(09:48):
is it's one minute in fifty seven seconds long. This
is not a long song. What's it about?
Speaker 4 (09:52):
Well, well, you know what was ined inspired the song
is that you know, regardless of we are, how far
you think you still have to go, or your circumstances, like,
we are all all kings in this and we all
can the world as we can, you know you can
do it. And the songs minute fifty just because that's
(10:16):
how it that's how really it laid out, mate, there
was no how much thought, and that was write the song.
When it feels like it's done, it's done.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
And that's exactly That's exactly what the Beatles used to
do as well, which is why so many of their
songs are perfect two minutes. And I adore a short
song to be fair, and Matt you we're going to
play this song We Are All Kings, from the new
album called Right Here, Right Now, which was actually a
song by Jesus Jones. I've been informed now and I
knew I knew it. There we go and thank you
so much. Have a great summer and enjoy the gigs
(10:44):
you've got coming up, and I wish you all the
best of success. Matchew Walter's ladies and gentlemen, And this
is we are all kings, just.
Speaker 6 (10:51):
A wor man with the small on wagon wheel, building
a house of cards and steady win on a slanit
here Richard Ma, let's them Mark we dream the same
gene noh is really all meaning it's a simple thing.
(11:13):
We are can we got everything? You can tackle the
famous marching did it always well?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And see just.
Speaker 6 (11:31):
Fain and we all came ye trade it off for
a peace of mind. I leave it all behind. We
live in castles, bade sad, it arise in tide a high.
When you figure running out of time, you still alive.
(11:53):
We are okay, we.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Got every day you can tackle the famous let it always?
But let's see just scare you. We are okay, we are.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
We got it. Then we are we got it.
Speaker 6 (12:40):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
There you go. One minute and fifty seven seconds, not
too long.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
Just right.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
For more from News Talk Sat B, listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
You're listening to a podcast from news Talks Be follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
I'm sure you recognize the voice. It's the voice of
Matthew Walters from six sixty, the Kiwi King of Summer.
I mean, you've got to say six sixty have now
did over the last decade. Don't forget your roots the greatest.
Please don't go. They will be playing out of every
UIY boom and every backyard bat around the country, as
they do every summer they do stadium gigs, but as
(00:47):
a special treat, Matchew and the band have given us
two brand new songs to sing along to this year,
released today, and they have a newly announced album on
the way, and Matthew Walters joins me, Now, hello, Mattchu,
I'm good. So you're coming out of your coma, are
you and actually starting to do some work.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Yeah, There's been a while since release of new music,
but I'm really excited about this next project, this new album,
these new songs and Y's sixty some of.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Is it fair to say that six sixty had extreme
success and then managed to move it on to another
level And that started when you played the very first
concert at Eden Park and that was like fifty thousand,
where you became a band that actually played to big
stadium crowds of fifty thousand people. That after that you
(01:37):
had to sort of what's happened after that is you've
had to stop and sort of reassess and maybe take
a breath and get your head back in order. And
now you're starting with the new vigor.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
Well, I've always had stuff to do, mate, life to live,
started making some babies, got a little bit busy, and
you know, Imtate's life, and I think quite often, you know,
you need to take a pause and take time and actually.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Load up the chambers. You have some things to write
music about. It's quite often news can get quite quite
tenious and boring if you're just trying to plow through
it all. But the time feels right and we have
some stories to tell and it's all captured on this
new album and this new music, which look, I just think,
hands down, it's our best music ever.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Come off at come off a number of times I've
heard that from some artists. Well, the new album is
the best album I've ever done. I mean, I know
what you're trying to do, but we'll be the judge
of that, Matchew Walters. We'll talk about the new music
in a few moments time. But I want to mention
Don't Forget Your Roots. The song it's fifteen years old
this year. That's amazing. So it's a timeless hit. So
(02:47):
what do you think it's magic is?
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Honestly, I don't know. There's not a lot of thought
really you put into hell the songs, at least especially
when you start out. You know, we're just excited and
amazed that we're actually doing it. And you write a
song and you tell some stories about your what's going
on in your life at the time, and you know,
we had no intention of of a song becoming a classic,
let alone being a band for fifteen years. And I
(03:14):
just think it tells a really true story about a
lot of things that kiwis feel with. You know, a
lot of our lot of us. Part of becoming a
Kiwi is living New Zealand, you know, and realizing how
good it is here. So I think it's a story
everyone here can relate to.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
I was a Metallica and Metallica decided to do a
cover version of Don't Forget Your Roots how much of
a pinchby moment was that?
Speaker 4 (03:38):
That was honestly credib believe I had to listen to
it a couple of times. I was I was in
a lounge in an airport somewhere, so I missed it,
but some of the boys were there, and look, my
phone just started blowing up, people saying, no way, dude,
Metallica's butchering your song. You should and they did.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
They totally butchered it, which is either a sign that
the song is actually quite hard to play or whatever,
or you need to be in a certain headspace. But
it was just it was just a bass player and
the drummer and Will while the other two guys, you know,
went off for a bit of a break and to
change your clothes or whatever. They have a cigarette, actually
probably have a cigar, so whatever. But yeah, they took
they completely butchered it. Mate, I'm so sorry, But sir,
(04:16):
how good was it to have that happen? How do
you feel about the fact that the Prime Minister has
your music on his twenty twenty six playlist.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
That's super cool. Man's got good tastes of music. I'll
give him that.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Much, okay, And what happens to you when you're just
at a social function and then six sixty comes on.
Do you sort of do you hide behind behind a
chair or do you sit there and go yo, bro?
That is me.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Oh, I don't know what it is about, Like about
people when you go into a cafe or a restaurant
and they subtly notice you and they think that it's
a good idea to put on your music. But it
can be the most awkward thing, like a rather people
just come and say hi, but they slip on the
music and then I have to sit there with my
family eating my eggs benedict while they're playing like a
song I wrote tenny notes. It's so awkward, but you
(05:04):
just learn to roll with it. Now, you just learn
to roll with it.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Oh, it's a tough life being so very very very famous. Indeed, yeah,
there we go. So oh you guys also do other activities,
don't you, I mean having your own gyms and clothing labels.
Do you still have sort of you know, the backups?
Speaker 6 (05:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:24):
I think we kind of like we we've taken every
opportunity that's come our way, you know, and music is is,
you know, it's not who we are I suppose it's
what we do and we have a lot of other
interests outside of it, and I mean, we just really
want to do cool stuff.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
You know.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
We love we love sport, we love music, we love fashion,
we love it all. And if life short, so if
we can have a kind of put our fingers a
lot of pies, that that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I'll tell you what's short one of your songs. It's
one minute and fifty seven seconds. We're going to play it,
so we'll have to take a break at a few
others time. However, I've got one more question. You've got
a big gig still to come, and you were playing symphony.
So this is where, of course, someone writes up a
symphonic score of your music and then you come along
and you played with an entire orchestra. Now how much
of a buzz is that? And how difficult is it?
Speaker 4 (06:14):
Honestly, it's surprisingly easy. Like I don't have to do
any of that work scoring the music. I just show
up and sing like I usually do. So someone's doing
a lot of work, and when you play live, it
just feels really powerful. So you actually like it's hard
not to be emotional and be lifted and getting obviously
getting an orchestra behind you playing your songs is pretty powerful.
(06:35):
And doing that opening the stadium down and crostets is
a huge It's a huge night, a huge accomplishment. And
I would say you go to your tickets, but there's
none left, so you can stand a parking bigs.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Do you ever get sick of selling out gigs? No,
of course you don't want Definitely, what a stupid question
that was. Okay, Matt to the fifth album, it's called
right Here Right Now? Have you you've stolen that from
the Chemical Brothers.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Hey, he told you that.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I told myself that.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
It's a song off the It's a song. The last
song on the album is called right Here Right Now
and just perfectly captures the whole vibe of the record.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
You know, all right? Basically, well, what is the vibe
of the record? I mean when you write a record,
when you when you put together a host of songs
that comes out as a record, do you put them
together under a theme, under under a broad canopy, or
is it just whatever comes to mind and then you
plunk them on an album whenever?
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Honestly, it's a little bit of both, and every every
album a little bit different, but you kind of start
with some guiding principles, I suppose, and this album maybe
was feeling nostalgic or whatever, but we just really were
leaning into our roots reggae origins. You know, everything about
New Zealand music that we fell in love with when
we were just a bunch of boys down in dun Eden.
(07:52):
So you can definitely hear that that roots reggae influence
coming through in the music, and we definitely wanted it
to be feel very live.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
You know.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
All the recordings are just single takes, live in the studio,
single take vocals.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
That was my next question. You recorded the whole say,
each track has been recorded live, and that's a great
pressure on you. Presumably you can do some overdubs afterwards
and fix it in the mix, you know, but just
to sit there and have that moment in time captured
it is a very special thing but a very hard
thing to do.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
Honestly, it's a lot easier and maybe we're unique where
we're unique as a band, but you know, you can
really easily fall into you know, like paralysis by analysis,
and given extra time, you just kind of use it.
And we're good sprinters, so you know, once we did
wrote the songs and kind of did all the preparation,
it was just be in the moment, which again is
why the title right here, right now makes so much sense.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I see the quote from your press release is saying
we are at the top of your game, which is
a very humble statement. But do you feel you are
at that? You feel you are at the top of
your game?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Oh, I mean every time, I feel like we are
at our prime. What's cool now is we have the
benefit of like having a history and have learned so
much of the fifteen years. So, like you know, you
told me off before, but I wasn't just saying that that.
I think this is the best music that we've ever
that we've ever had. I mean I can say that
too because I mean, of course everyone can make their
(09:19):
own minds up, but I know that was the most
fun we've had since the first album. That and that's
that can say a lot for how music comes out.
So cool and this is a lot of life in
the songs.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
You know, well, you've done that, You've done so well, mate,
I mean, your debut is thirteen times platinum. I mean
that's just that's breathtaking. Really, You've done so well, you've
made so many people so happy. And I'm going to
play a song and it's from the album. It's called
We Are All Kings and it's released today. The album
comes out in February. And what I noted about this
(09:48):
is it's one minute in fifty seven seconds long. This
is not a long song. What's it about?
Speaker 4 (09:52):
Well, well, you know what was ined inspired the song
is that you know, regardless of we are, how far
you think you still have to go, or your circumstances, like,
we are all all kings in this and we all
can the world as we can, you know you can
do it. And the songs minute fifty just because that's
(10:16):
how it that's how really it laid out, mate, there
was no how much thought, and that was write the song.
When it feels like it's done, it's done.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
And that's exactly That's exactly what the Beatles used to
do as well, which is why so many of their
songs are perfect two minutes. And I adore a short
song to be fair, and Matt you we're going to
play this song We Are All Kings, from the new
album called Right Here, Right Now, which was actually a
song by Jesus Jones. I've been informed now and I
knew I knew it. There we go and thank you
so much. Have a great summer and enjoy the gigs
(10:44):
you've got coming up, and I wish you all the
best of success. Matchew Walter's ladies and gentlemen, And this
is we are all kings, just.
Speaker 6 (10:51):
A wor man with the small on wagon wheel, building
a house of cards and steady win on a slanit
here Richard Ma, let's them Mark we dream the same
gene noh is really all meaning it's a simple thing.
(11:13):
We are can we got everything? You can tackle the
famous marching did it always well?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And see just.
Speaker 6 (11:31):
Fain and we all came ye trade it off for
a peace of mind. I leave it all behind. We
live in castles, bade sad, it arise in tide a high.
When you figure running out of time, you still alive.
(11:53):
We are okay, we.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Got every day you can tackle the famous let it always?
But let's see just scare you. We are okay, we are.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
We got it. Then we are we got it.
Speaker 6 (12:40):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
There you go. One minute and fifty seven seconds, not
too long.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
Just right.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
For more from News Talk Sat B, listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Fudd Around And Find Out
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd brings her championship swag to iHeart Women’s Sports with Fudd Around and Find Out, a weekly podcast that takes fans along for the ride as Azzi spends her final year of college trying to reclaim the National Championship and prepare to be a first round WNBA draft pick. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a world-class athlete in the public spotlight while still managing schoolwork, friendships and family time? It’s time to Fudd Around and Find Out!