Briolette Kah Bic Runga recording as Bic Runga, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist. She learned how to play drums at the age of eleven, and guitar at about fourteen. Runga also learned to play the keyboard around this time. She attended Cashmere High School joining high school bands and performing with local jazz groups by her mid-teens.
Under the name of “Love Soup”, Runga and Kelly Horgan entered the 1993 Smokefreerockquest in Christchurch, winning third place and a music contract with Pagan Records. Using a QEII Arts Council grant, Runga recorded the first Drive EP in Wellington. In 1995, she sent a new demo of “Drive” to Sony Music, who signed Runga in September of that year and bought her Wellington recordings from Pagan Records. Sony had her re-record the song with more instruments, but it was eventually her demo that was used on the upcoming album. It entered the Top 10 in New Zealand and won her the APRA Silver Scroll award in 1996.
Runga then released “Bursting Through”, the first single from her upcoming album, also entitled Drive. The success of the singles led to the release of her debut album, Drive, in 1997. Runga’s song “Sway”, along with a duet with Dan Wilson of Semisonic called “Good Morning Baby”, were used in the films American Pie, and Cruel Intentions. Six singles were released from the album, while “Sway” was released in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
In 2000, Runga toured with Tim Finn and Dave Dobbyn, resulting in a release of a live album in November 2000, titled “Together in Concert:Live”. It peaked at number 2 on the New Zealand charts and has been certified 3× platinum. Runga released her second solo album, Beautiful Collision in 2002. It entered the New Zealand charts at number one and has been certified 10× platinum in New Zealand. Her third studio album, Birds, was released in New Zealand in November 2005. New Zealand artists Neil Finn (piano) and Anika Moa (backing vocals) contributed to the album. The first single, “Winning Arrow”, was released on the same day. It was her third consecutive studio album to enter the New Zealand charts at number one. Birds was certified triple platinum.
Runga contributed to the score and soundtrack to New Zealand filmmaker Roseanne Liang’s debut feature film My Wedding and Other Secrets (2011). In addition to featuring “Say After Me” from Birds, the film also included two tracks (“Hello Hello” and “This Girl’s Prepared for War”) from her fourth album Belle. Belle was released in November 2011. In June 2015, Runga released a new single titled “Dreamed a Dream”. This was a collaboration with Hollie Fullbrook of Tiny Ruins. In November 2016, Runga was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame.
