January 20, 2025 • 9 mins
Bic Runga is one of New Zealand’s iconic performers – dazzling audiences since the release of her first single in 1996.
She went on to reach international fame, as well as winning the most New Zealand Music Awards by an individual ever.
Runga is currently on the road as part of the Greenstone Summer Concert Tour, performing alongside Cold Chisel, Icehouse, and Everclear.
The first show of the tour was this past weekend in Queenstown, and Runga told Ryan Bridge that she’s having ‘such a good time’ on the road.
“It was really cool to meet these guys on the road,” she said of the other performers.
“They’re all legends and, y'know, they’re all lovely.”
Runga has brought her family along on this tour, and she says that it’s definitely a military operation trying to keep everyone organised.
“I’m trying to get on stage and someone’s asking me where their sock is.”
“It’s cool to have them, but there’s... it’s just an extra layer of stuff to, y'know, find and wash,” Runga told Bridge with a laugh.
Most people stream music nowadays, but despite having close to half a million monthly streams on Spotify, Runga says that it’s not the main way artists make their money.
“Streaming is a bit stacked up against you,” she said.
“It has been harder and harder for musicians to make money out of things like that, but, y'know, I guess that’s why we tour."
“You have to really love doing it, y’know, I still do it because it’s super fun and I can’t do anything else.”
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
At this point, is there anyone in New Zealand who
doesn't recognize this voice? Who doesn't know Big Wronger? The
singer songwriter has been dazzling us since nineteen ninety six,
when she released her first single. She's gone on to
international fame as well as the most New Zealand music
awards won by an individual ever. Currently, she's part of
the Greenstone Summer Concert Tour, performing alongside the Lights of
(00:22):
Cold Chisel, Ice House and Everclere and Bick. Wronger is
with me this morning, Modena, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Good morning, right, how are you very well?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Thank you, thank you so much for coming on the show.
It's lovely to have you on.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
No problem, can it talk to you now?
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Obviously Trump's been had his inauguration this morning, So first question,
would you have sung at his inauguration?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Would you have asked me? I don't think you.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Poor old Carrie Underwood got a hard time for saying yes.
But it's it'd be quite a platform. That's the tempting thing,
isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
No, I would.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I wouldn't think he would know me from a boroughflope,
So I don't think I have a problems even because it's.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Hey, how's it. So obviously that you're out on the road,
you're on tour, you're going to be in Topoor and
we'll give people the dates and all the details soon.
But how's it going.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Oh, I'm having such a good time. We had our
first show in Queenstown on this weekend last weekend, and
I stuck around with my family. So I'm just sitting
here squinting into a beautiful sun overlooking the lake and
I'm really looking forward to the coming weekend. But yeah,
it was it was cool. It was really cool to
meet these guys on the road because they're all legends
(01:36):
and you know, they're all lovely.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
You've spoken in the past about touring being not so
much a party but more military operation. If you've got
the whole family there, now it must be even more so.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Oh totally. Yeah. No, It's like, you know, I'm trying
to get on stage and someone's asking me where there's
soccer is, and it's like really so full on. But yeah,
we're just trying to hone it so that and I
keep saying to my kids, like, if you wanted to come,
you know, we've got to We've got to get better
at this. So yeah, it's cool to have them, but
(02:10):
there's just an extra layer of stuff to you know,
find and wash.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
You've obviously, because I know that you've spoken in the
past about your mum being very musical and encouraging you.
She was a loud singer. Do you sing for your kids?
Do you include them in that?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
I don't know. I think they just I think, you know,
even just on Saturday when we had the show, it
was a huge crowd. It was like fourteen thousand people,
and I think they were like, oh, you know, but
they just don't. They haven't quite connected that that's what
I do. They think I'm the sock finder. But so yeah,
it's quite cool to bring them because they kind of
(02:52):
get it now. But yeah, no, I don't know. I
don't really sing to them that much. They're quite sort
of they can go quite apathetic about my singing around
the house.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah, that's quite that's quite a flex to just put
them in. Hey, come and have a look at this, kids,
see what mother can do. So I've been I've been
looking back at some of the comments that you've given
in the past about you know that that inspiration and
I spoke about your mum being a lounge singer. Is
(03:25):
is it something that you would want, you know, your
kids to be doing in the future. Is a music
still the same, not not just an outlet, but kind
of career path that it was for you?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Yeah, kind of. I mean only because I'd sort of
want to, you know, be around them and sort of
help them do stuff, because you know, it's just like
any I suppose family business where you get a bit
more of an insight if you've got someone in your
family there with you to help you. But there would
be the selfish reason. I think it's a real I
still think it's a really hard thing to do. But
(03:58):
my kids have just started learning to pay a guitar
and they just sort of did it themselves. So I
think it's about them having their own impetus to do it.
I couldn't make them or anything, but yeah, they seem interested.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Your your Spotify. I had a look yesterday getting I
think close to half a million stream monthly streams for
your music, which is fantastic. Just do you make money.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Out of that? Do I make money? I think probably
a little bit, but I don't think that's the main
way we make money. I mean, that's yeah, that's always
been a bit contentious that stuff, because streaming is a
bit stacked up against you, and you know, it has
been harder and harder for musicians to make money out
(04:42):
of things like that. But you know, I guess that's
the way we tour and and you know, you have
to really love doing it. You know, I still do
it because it's super fun and I can't do anything.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Else apart from fine socks. Becketts. It's lovely to have
you on the show. From Sunny Queenstown this morning, you
can see the Greenstone Summer Concert Tour performing alongside the
Lights of colchizl ice House and Everclear and Topa Or
January twenty fifth, fifty Young and January twenty sixth and
Homegown on March the fourteenth. Tickets through the Greenstone Entertainment website.
(05:15):
But welcome back to the show. I want to go
back in time to Sway And I know you've probably
been asked a thousand questions about this song because it
was such a popular song, but a beautiful song. I
don't know, sort of sad but also very uplifting song.
You've sweet here, Yeah, you said that you wrote it
(05:38):
or you've got the inspiration for the name from Ireland.
What was that about? Oh?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I think, yeah, I was trying to record my record there.
I think I've been signed and they sort of shipped
me over there to record it. Wasn't it wasn't. It
wasn't so much to do with Ireland. It was just
some graffiti I saw in Auckland. But it was just
someone's gotten up onto the top of a bridge, I
think in windhom Street. But I just remember saying how
(06:07):
did they get up there? And wright? It was really
random words way And then the song kind of wrote
itself quite quickly and we did record it in Ireland.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Ya are you recorded? And Iland? So someone wrote the
words way on the side of a building, you see that?
And outcomes the song.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, I mean it used to happened a lot in
those days. We're just it was just sort of all
the stream of consciousness, I suppose writing songs and yeah, yeah,
it was a really easy song to write.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
But yep, we spoke about the Spotify side business side
of it was that song and that album in particular.
Was that a lucrative time for you?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I mean, I'm amazed that it's still you know, around
and it does still I mean, I guess it still
pays bills, but it's Yeah, it's an amazing what a
song can do, and it probably is still the you know,
for something to be around for over twenty years. I
think that's when you sort of see that it's sort
of around for the long haul. But it does take
(07:09):
that long and it's been kind of fun to experience that.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Yeah, it's pretty cool. And it went gold in New Zealand,
gold in Australia. I certified gold there by Aria And
even I was watching a couple of this is probably
a couple of years ago, but watching American Pie. It
made its way onto that movie, the American movie. How
did that happen?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, I actually don't quite recall how it happened, but
I do remember living in America at the time and
seeing it and seeing the movie in a movie theater,
and that was amazing. I was only maybe nineteen, and yeah,
I was watching this movie and the song came on
and then they used it sort of sequel, and I
don't know, it just found a life of its own.
And actually even now, which is really amazing, as it's
(07:52):
just been covered by Amy Shark and you know, she's
sort of brought it a second second life. Thank you. So. Yeah,
that's what a song can do if you just you know,
it just finds. Yeah, it just finds its own way.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
It's timeless, really, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Yeah, it's cool, very cool.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Now, are you still writing music? You're obviously still performing it.
Are you still writing it? And how do you find
the time between you know, doing all the laundry for
the kids?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah, yeah, between being a slave. Yeah, No, I do
find time, and things are getting easier now and I
still love it, and yeah, just yeah, I am. I'm writing.
I'm writing an album and recording right now and I
don't know. It's just still just what I do and
it's really enjoyable and like therapy. And yeah, I'm still
(08:39):
doing it. Hopefully there'll be something out sometime.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
This year and we look forward to hearing it. But
thank you very much for being with me this morning.
Really appreciate your time and be still luck for the
rest of the gigs.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Cool, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Thank you you too. Take care. That's bit from who
is a Kiwi singer, songwriter and in fact our most
decorated at the New Zealand Music Awards. She's won the
most awards for an individual artists ever. Pretty impressive stuff
and what a lovely person too. She's in Queenstown at
the moment, but you can see her alongside the rest
(09:11):
of the Greenstone Summer Concert Tour and Topau January twenty fifth,
Fifth Younger January twenty sixth, Homegrown March fourteenth. Get your
tickets Greenstone Entertainment's website. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,
listen live to news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
At this point, is there anyone in New Zealand who
doesn't recognize this voice? Who doesn't know Big Wronger? The
singer songwriter has been dazzling us since nineteen ninety six,
when she released her first single. She's gone on to
international fame as well as the most New Zealand music
awards won by an individual ever. Currently, she's part of
the Greenstone Summer Concert Tour, performing alongside the Lights of
(00:22):
Cold Chisel, Ice House and Everclere and Bick. Wronger is
with me this morning, Modena, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Good morning, right, how are you very well?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Thank you, thank you so much for coming on the show.
It's lovely to have you on.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
No problem, can it talk to you now?
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Obviously Trump's been had his inauguration this morning, So first question,
would you have sung at his inauguration?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Would you have asked me? I don't think you.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Poor old Carrie Underwood got a hard time for saying yes.
But it's it'd be quite a platform. That's the tempting thing,
isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
No, I would.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I wouldn't think he would know me from a boroughflope,
So I don't think I have a problems even because it's.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Hey, how's it. So obviously that you're out on the road,
you're on tour, you're going to be in Topoor and
we'll give people the dates and all the details soon.
But how's it going.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Oh, I'm having such a good time. We had our
first show in Queenstown on this weekend last weekend, and
I stuck around with my family. So I'm just sitting
here squinting into a beautiful sun overlooking the lake and
I'm really looking forward to the coming weekend. But yeah,
it was it was cool. It was really cool to
meet these guys on the road because they're all legends
(01:36):
and you know, they're all lovely.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
You've spoken in the past about touring being not so
much a party but more military operation. If you've got
the whole family there, now it must be even more so.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Oh totally. Yeah. No, It's like, you know, I'm trying
to get on stage and someone's asking me where there's
soccer is, and it's like really so full on. But yeah,
we're just trying to hone it so that and I
keep saying to my kids, like, if you wanted to come,
you know, we've got to We've got to get better
at this. So yeah, it's cool to have them, but
(02:10):
there's just an extra layer of stuff to you know,
find and wash.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
You've obviously, because I know that you've spoken in the
past about your mum being very musical and encouraging you.
She was a loud singer. Do you sing for your kids?
Do you include them in that?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
I don't know. I think they just I think, you know,
even just on Saturday when we had the show, it
was a huge crowd. It was like fourteen thousand people,
and I think they were like, oh, you know, but
they just don't. They haven't quite connected that that's what
I do. They think I'm the sock finder. But so yeah,
it's quite cool to bring them because they kind of
(02:52):
get it now. But yeah, no, I don't know. I
don't really sing to them that much. They're quite sort
of they can go quite apathetic about my singing around
the house.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah, that's quite that's quite a flex to just put
them in. Hey, come and have a look at this, kids,
see what mother can do. So I've been I've been
looking back at some of the comments that you've given
in the past about you know that that inspiration and
I spoke about your mum being a lounge singer. Is
(03:25):
is it something that you would want, you know, your
kids to be doing in the future. Is a music
still the same, not not just an outlet, but kind
of career path that it was for you?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Yeah, kind of. I mean only because I'd sort of
want to, you know, be around them and sort of
help them do stuff, because you know, it's just like
any I suppose family business where you get a bit
more of an insight if you've got someone in your
family there with you to help you. But there would
be the selfish reason. I think it's a real I
still think it's a really hard thing to do. But
(03:58):
my kids have just started learning to pay a guitar
and they just sort of did it themselves. So I
think it's about them having their own impetus to do it.
I couldn't make them or anything, but yeah, they seem interested.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Your your Spotify. I had a look yesterday getting I
think close to half a million stream monthly streams for
your music, which is fantastic. Just do you make money.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Out of that? Do I make money? I think probably
a little bit, but I don't think that's the main
way we make money. I mean, that's yeah, that's always
been a bit contentious that stuff, because streaming is a
bit stacked up against you, and you know, it has
been harder and harder for musicians to make money out
(04:42):
of things like that. But you know, I guess that's
the way we tour and and you know, you have
to really love doing it. You know, I still do
it because it's super fun and I can't do anything.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Else apart from fine socks. Becketts. It's lovely to have
you on the show. From Sunny Queenstown this morning, you
can see the Greenstone Summer Concert Tour performing alongside the
Lights of colchizl ice House and Everclear and Topa Or
January twenty fifth, fifty Young and January twenty sixth and
Homegown on March the fourteenth. Tickets through the Greenstone Entertainment website.
(05:15):
But welcome back to the show. I want to go
back in time to Sway And I know you've probably
been asked a thousand questions about this song because it
was such a popular song, but a beautiful song. I
don't know, sort of sad but also very uplifting song.
You've sweet here, Yeah, you said that you wrote it
(05:38):
or you've got the inspiration for the name from Ireland.
What was that about? Oh?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I think, yeah, I was trying to record my record there.
I think I've been signed and they sort of shipped
me over there to record it. Wasn't it wasn't. It
wasn't so much to do with Ireland. It was just
some graffiti I saw in Auckland. But it was just
someone's gotten up onto the top of a bridge, I
think in windhom Street. But I just remember saying how
(06:07):
did they get up there? And wright? It was really
random words way And then the song kind of wrote
itself quite quickly and we did record it in Ireland.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Ya are you recorded? And Iland? So someone wrote the
words way on the side of a building, you see that?
And outcomes the song.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, I mean it used to happened a lot in
those days. We're just it was just sort of all
the stream of consciousness, I suppose writing songs and yeah, yeah,
it was a really easy song to write.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
But yep, we spoke about the Spotify side business side
of it was that song and that album in particular.
Was that a lucrative time for you?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I mean, I'm amazed that it's still you know, around
and it does still I mean, I guess it still
pays bills, but it's Yeah, it's an amazing what a
song can do, and it probably is still the you know,
for something to be around for over twenty years. I
think that's when you sort of see that it's sort
of around for the long haul. But it does take
(07:09):
that long and it's been kind of fun to experience that.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Yeah, it's pretty cool. And it went gold in New Zealand,
gold in Australia. I certified gold there by Aria And
even I was watching a couple of this is probably
a couple of years ago, but watching American Pie. It
made its way onto that movie, the American movie. How
did that happen?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, I actually don't quite recall how it happened, but
I do remember living in America at the time and
seeing it and seeing the movie in a movie theater,
and that was amazing. I was only maybe nineteen, and yeah,
I was watching this movie and the song came on
and then they used it sort of sequel, and I
don't know, it just found a life of its own.
And actually even now, which is really amazing, as it's
(07:52):
just been covered by Amy Shark and you know, she's
sort of brought it a second second life. Thank you. So. Yeah,
that's what a song can do if you just you know,
it just finds. Yeah, it just finds its own way.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
It's timeless, really, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Yeah, it's cool, very cool.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Now, are you still writing music? You're obviously still performing it.
Are you still writing it? And how do you find
the time between you know, doing all the laundry for
the kids?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah, yeah, between being a slave. Yeah, No, I do
find time, and things are getting easier now and I
still love it, and yeah, just yeah, I am. I'm writing.
I'm writing an album and recording right now and I
don't know. It's just still just what I do and
it's really enjoyable and like therapy. And yeah, I'm still
(08:39):
doing it. Hopefully there'll be something out sometime.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
This year and we look forward to hearing it. But
thank you very much for being with me this morning.
Really appreciate your time and be still luck for the
rest of the gigs.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Cool, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Thank you you too. Take care. That's bit from who
is a Kiwi singer, songwriter and in fact our most
decorated at the New Zealand Music Awards. She's won the
most awards for an individual artists ever. Pretty impressive stuff
and what a lovely person too. She's in Queenstown at
the moment, but you can see her alongside the rest
(09:11):
of the Greenstone Summer Concert Tour and Topau January twenty fifth,
Fifth Younger January twenty sixth, Homegrown March fourteenth. Get your
tickets Greenstone Entertainment's website. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,
listen live to news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
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