Live Nation and Vodafone New Zealand have announced soulful up-and-comer Muroki as the March featured artist for their ONES TO WATCH program. Muroki becomes the latest artist in the program after launching in late 2020 as a platform for Kiwi music fans to discover rising musicians.
Hailing from Raglan, Muroki pulls influence from jazz, R&B and rock to create enticing tunes that have captured the attention from New Zealand music stars, including Kiwi pop-darling BENEE, who played Muroki’s song to the legendary Elton John on his Apple Music radio show. Muroki performed for thousands of Kiwi music fans across the country when he opened for BENEE on her tour, before becoming the first artist signed to her Olive Records label.
Muroki’s rise to success has come after years of hard work, with the singer spending his days planting trees to afford new studio equipment and taking high-school guitar lessons to build his skills. It’s paid off, with Muroki becoming a regular on the festival circuit and his groovy new single Wavy, released last week, is the perfect send-off to the Kiwi summer.
Click here to watch Muroki perform Simple Pleasures
Click here to watch Muroki's music video for Light Me Up
On Muroki’s incredible talent, Promoter at Live Nation Renée Hermsen: “Watching Muroki and his band open for BENEE night after night made it clear his songs and style are absolutely irresistible, even to those new to his music. His effortless sound makes for the perfect 2021 soundtrack, both in Aotearoa and around the world.”
Muroki joins an incredible list of ONES TO WATCH alumni, which launched in the United States in 2017, helping boost the careers of artists including Halsey and Dua Lipa. Muroki becomes the fifth Kiwi artist to be featured in the New Zealand branch of the program, joining Paige, Park Rd, Imugi and RIIKI.
Vodafone New Zealand Chief Consumer Officer Carolyn Luey says the digital services company is proud to have incredible talent such as Muroki come through the ONES TO WATCH program: “Muroki is exactly the type of hard-working Kiwi artist that we look to support through the platform and we are excited to have the opportunity to showcase his work locally, and globally.”
After launching an exclusive long-term partnership in 2019, Live Nation Australasia and Vodafone New Zealand have provided Vodafone customers access to Live Nation’s entertainment portfolio including music, family and comedy tours and festivals across the country. The strategic multi-year partnership is committed to bringing the best live experiences to New Zealand and the best New Zealand artists to the world. The unique emerging talent platform of ONES TO WATCH builds on this strong partnership and a mutual dedication to support grassroots initiatives.
As well as access to the online platform, Vodafone customers will be given the chance to win tickets to the ONES TO WATCH invitation-only quarterly showcase events. More info and competition details available at: vodafonerewards.co.nz.
WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
MUROKI FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / YOUTUBE
ONES TO WATCH FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER