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Boh Runga | |
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 Boh performing live in New Plymouth as the opening act for Bic Runga | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1969or1970(age 53–54) [1] Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Labels | Sony BMG |
| Website | bohrunga |
Boh Runga (born 1969/1970) is a New Zealand recording artist and was the lead singer and guitarist in New Zealand rock band Stellar. [2] Boh is the older sister of Bic Runga and Pearl Runga who are also musicians.
Boh grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand. She is the daughter of Joseph Runga, a Maori ex-serviceman and Sophia Tang, a Chinese singer who abandoned her own music career in Malaysia to join Joseph in his home country. [3] [4] Joseph was a self-taught pianist and died in 2005 from a heart attack. [1] Runga is of Ngāti Kahungunu descent. [5]
Boh left Christchurch for Auckland to form Stellar in the late 1990s. After signing with Sony Music, Stellar released their 1999 debut album Mix and quickly became Sony's biggest selling New Zealand band as the album went multi-platinum. Stellar also secured eight Tui Awards for Mix and its 2001 follow up Magic Line . [6]
After the release of 'Magic Line' and the subsequent touring of New Zealand, Australia and Europe, Boh went to Los Angeles in 2003 to hone her skills as a songwriter at the invitation of her LA-based music publishers, Chrysalis. She now lives in Los Angeles. [1] Since 2003, she has been married to Campbell Smith, who is the manager for her sister Bic and chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. [1]
In 2007, a fortuitous introduction to the gold bullion company NZ Mint led Boh into designing and launching her first jewellery range called 'Birdland', based on her love of New Zealand's native birds. [7] Due to the success of both 'Birdland' and her second collection, 'The Messenger Stories', Runga now plans to release the jewellery in Australia and North America. [3]
Runga's first solo album, Right Here was released on 14 July 2009. Strongly reflective of her time spent in Silver Lake, LA, the album tells tales of love, loss and life. Recorded over six months in the Hollywood studio of producer Marshall Altman, Right Here was warmly received on its recent New Zealand release. The New Zealand Herald gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, noting "its unashamed blockbuster urges and tunepower make it all the more irresistible" and Real Groove called it "an assured collection of streamlined tunes that's guaranteed to surf the airwaves. Collaborators on the album include Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Greg Laswell and writing collaborations with Wendy Melvoin (Prince and the Revolution), Shelly Peiken and Rod Stewart's songwriter Kevin Savigar.
In December 2012, Runga starred in an online video campaign supporting gay marriage, alongside other New Zealand singers Anika Moa and Hollie Smith, as well as Olympian Danyon Loader and former Governor-General Dame Catherine Tizard. [8]
In August 2014, Runga featured with other New Zealand artists on the charity single "Song for Everyone". [9]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [10] | |||
| 2007 | "Tears" (Boh & Carly) | — | Non-album single |
| 2008 | "Starfish Sleeping" | — | Right Here |
| "Evelyn" | — | ||
| 2009 | "Be Careful" | — | |
| "Come Together" (Boh Runga & Che Fu) | — | Right Here special bonus edition | |
| "Names in the Sand" | — | Right Here | |
| 2010 | "Would You Give Your Heart" | — | Right Here special bonus edition |
| 2011 | "Just Talking" (Magik Johnson featuring Boh Runga) | — | Non-album single |
| 2012 | "Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)" (Flight of the Conchords) | 1 | Non-album single |
| "Not Given Lightly" (Various artists) | — | Non-album single | |
| 2013 | "Shadows" (Dick Johnson, Boh Runga & Tiki Taane) | — | Non-album single |
| 2015 | "Team, Ball, Player, Thing" (#KiwisCureBatten) | 2 | Non-album single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
Briolette Kah Bic Runga, recording as Bic Runga, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist. Her first three studio albums debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40 Album charts. Runga has also found success internationally in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom with her 1997 song "Sway".
Anika Rose Moa is a New Zealand recording artist and television presenter. Her debut studio album Thinking Room, was released in September 2001, which reached number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and provided two Top 5 singles, "Youthful" (2001) and "Falling in Love Again" (2002). Moa competed at the Rockquest songwriting contest in 1998, which led to a recording contract. She is the subject of two documentaries by film-maker Justin Pemberton: 3 Chords and the Truth: the Anika Moa Story (2003), detailing her signing to a record label and the release of Thinking Room, and In Bed with Anika Moa (2010) on her later career.
Drive is the debut solo album by New Zealand artist Bic Runga, released on 14 July 1997. The album went seven times platinum in New Zealand, and won the New Zealand Music Award for Album of the Year at the 32nd New Zealand Music Awards.
Beautiful Collision is the second solo album by New Zealand artist Bic Runga, released on 1 July 2002 in New Zealand, 15 July 2002 in Australia, and 5 November 2002 in the United States.
Birds is the third studio album by New Zealand artist Bic Runga. The album was released in New Zealand on 28 November 2005. The album was Bic's third no.1 album garnering platinum status in its first week. The album was certified 3× platinum. The album won the New Zealand Music Award for Album of the Year in 2006, her second award for Best Album, after her debut release Drive.
Together in Concert: Live is a 2000 live album by Tim Finn, Bic Runga, and Dave Dobbyn during their Together in Concert tour. It was recorded in the months of August and September 2000 in venues around New Zealand. Both the concert and album feature all three performers providing vocal and instrumental backing on each other's songs.
Live in Concert with the Christchurch Symphony is a live album by New Zealand artist Bic Runga, her third album overall. Runga performed with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marc Taddei. The performance was recorded in Christchurch on October 3, 2003, and the album was released on November 17, 2003.
"Sway" is a song by New Zealand singer Bic Runga. It was released as the second single from her debut studio album, Drive (1997), in 1997. The song peaked at No. 7 in New Zealand and No. 10 in Australia, earning gold certifications in both countries. At the 32nd New Zealand Music Awards, the song won three awards: Single of the Year, Best Songwriter, and Best Engineer. In 2001, it was voted the 6th best New Zealand song of all time by members of APRA. A music video directed by John Taft was made for the song.
"Get Some Sleep" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Bic Runga. It was released in June 2002 as the lead single from her second studio album, Beautiful Collision. The song was the highest-selling song by a New Zealand artist in 2002, ranking at number six on the country's year-end ranking and peaking at number three on the RIANZ Singles Chart. The song also reached number 27 in Ireland, number 78 in the United Kingdom, and number 92 in Australia.
Hollie Smith is a New Zealand soul singer-songwriter based in Auckland, New Zealand. Her four solo albums Long Player, Humour and the Misfortune of Others, Water or Gold, and Coming In From The Dark have all reached number one on the RIANZ albums chart, making her one of the most successful female New Zealand artists of the 21st century.
Stellar is a New Zealand pop/rock band led by vocalist Boh Runga, sister of acclaimed recording artist Bic Runga. They have had four RIANZ top 10 singles and two No. 1 albums. The band's signature song is "Violent", which at the 2000 New Zealand Music Awards won the Single of the Year award, as well as winning Runga an award for best Songwriter. The band won seven awards, among them the Best Album award for their debut, Mix. This was followed up by 2001's Magic Line and 2006's Something Like Strangers. The band officially disbanded in 2010 after releasing their greatest hits compilation, and reformed in 2017.
"Part of Me" is a song by New Zealand band Stellar*, released as the second single from their debut album, Mix (1999), in April 1999. This song was the group's first top 10 single on New Zealand's RIANZ Singles Chart, spending two weeks at four before dropping out of the top 10. The single includes two B-sides: "Sorry" and "Trepanning ".
Right Here is the debut solo album of New Zealand singer/songwriter Boh Runga, released in May, 2009. Right Here was recorded in Marshall Altman's Hollywood studio and includes the singles "Starfish Sleeping" and "Evelyn."
The discography of Anika Moa, a New Zealand pop singer-songwriter, consists of four studio albums, twelve solo singles, three charity singles, and fifteen music videos. Moa was a finalist in the 1998 national Smokefreerockquest, and was subsequently signed to record labels Warner Music and Atlantic Records. She recorded her debut album, Thinking Room, in New York City, which was released in 2001. It focussed on the genre of pop, with elements of folk music, and hosted the singles "Youthful", "Good in My Head", "Falling in Love Again" and "Mother". "Falling in Love Again" provided Moa with her first chart success in Australia, reaching number sixty-one on the Australian Singles Chart. Thinking Room topped the New Zealand Albums Chart and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). Stolen Hill, Moa's second studio effort, was released in 2005 and featured a darker tone, with Moa incorporating influences of rhythm and blues and swing music. The album was certified gold by the RIANZ.
Belle is the fourth studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Bic Runga.
The 2006 New Zealand Music Awards took place on 18 October 2006 at the Aotea Centre in Auckland. The best Jazz album was presented at the New Zealand Jazz Festival in November.
Anthology is a compilation album by New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bic Runga. The album was initially set to be released on 23 November 2012, but ultimately released on 1 December 2012 in New Zealand. The album cover was revealed on 29 October 2012.
Try to Remember Everything is a compilation album by New Zealand singer-song writer Bic Runga. The album is collection of unreleased, new and rare Bic Runga recordings from 1996 to 2008. The album was released on 21 November 2008 and was certified gold in December.
The discography of New Zealand recording artist Bic Runga consists of six studio albums. In 2016, Runga was inducted in the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
Close Your Eyes is the fifth studio album by New Zealand singer-song writer Bic Runga. The album is made up of ten covers and two original tracks. Upon announcement of the album in October, Runga said: "There are so many songs I've always wanted to cover. I wanted to see if I could not just be a singer-songwriter, but someone who could also interpret songs. In the process, I found there are so many reasons why a cover version wouldn't work, perhaps because the lyrics were not something I could relate to first hand, because technically I wasn't ready or because the original was too iconic. But the songs that all made it on the record specifically say something about where I'm at in my life, better than if I'd written it myself. It was a challenging process, I'm really proud of the singing and the production and the statement".
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