SINGERS from New Zealand

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary New Zealander Singers of all time. This list of famous New Zealander Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of New Zealander Singers.

1. Kiri Te Kanawa (b. 1944)

With an HPI of 57.98, Kiri Te Kanawa is the most famous New Zealander Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 42 different languages on wikipedia.

Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". On 1 December 1971 she was recognised internationally when she appeared as the Countess in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera House in London. Te Kanawa received accolades in many countries, performing works composed in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and singing in several languages. She was particularly associated with the music of Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini and Richard Strauss, and was often cast as an aristocrat. Her extensive discography includes three albums which featured in the top forty in charts in Australia in the mid-1980s. Towards the end of her career, Te Kanawa appeared in opera only rarely, preferring to perform in concerts and recitals. She also devoted much of her time to giving masterclasses and supporting young opera singers through the period of their apprenticeship.

2. Rosé (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 57.04, Rosé is the 2nd most famous New Zealander Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 62 different languages.

Roseanne Park (born 11 February 1997), better known by her stage name Rosé (Korean: 로제), is a New Zealand and South Korean singer. Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, Rosé signed with South Korean label YG Entertainment following a successful audition in 2012 and trained for four years before debuting as a member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink in August 2016. In March 2021, Rosé released her debut single album R, which sold 448,089 copies in its first week, the highest figure by a Korean female soloist. Its lead single "On the Ground" made her the first artist to top the Billboard Global 200 as a soloist and as part of a group, the first Korean female soloist to enter the UK Singles Chart, and the Korean solo artist with the most-viewed music video in the first 24 hours on YouTube. She signed with the Black Label and Atlantic Records in 2024 and released the Billboard Global 200 number-one hit "Apt." with Bruno Mars as the lead single from her debut studio album Rosie (2024). "Apt." topped charts in numerous countries worldwide including South Korea's Circle Digital Chart and Australia's ARIA Singles Chart, where it became the first song by a Korean female soloist to reach the summit. Likewise, it became the first song by a Korean female soloist to reach the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Rosé has received several accolades throughout her career, including two Guinness World Records and two MAMA Awards. She is the third-most followed Korean individual on Instagram and appeared on Rolling Stone's list of living icons from Australia and New Zealand. Rosé has been acknowledged for her role in fashion as a global ambassador for Yves Saint Laurent, and became one of the first female K-pop idols to attend the Met Gala in 2021.

3. Keith Urban (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 49.82, Keith Urban is the 3rd most famous New Zealander Singer.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Keith Lionel Urban (born Urbahn; 26 October 1967) is an Australian and American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Recognised with four Grammy Awards, he has also received 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves International Award, 13 CMA Awards, and six ARIA Music Awards. Urban wrote and performed the song "For You" from the film Act of Valor, which earned him nominations at both the 70th Golden Globe Awards and at the 18th Critics' Choice Awards in the respective Best Original Song categories. Urban has released 11 studio albums (one of which was released only in Australia), as well as one album with the Ranch. He has charted 37 singles on the US Hot Country Songs chart, 18 of which went to number one, counting a duet with Brad Paisley ("Start a Band") and the 2008 single "You Look Good in My Shirt". Urban also worked with numerous artists from different music genres, such as Pink, Nelly Furtado, Jason Derulo, Julia Michaels as well as country artists like Dolly Parton, The Chicks, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Eric Church, and Reba McEntire. In 1991, he released a self-titled debut album, charting four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the next year. He began a band known as The Ranch, which recorded one studio album on Capitol Nashville and charted two singles on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Still signed to Capitol, Urban made his solo American debut in 1999 with a second eponymous album. Certified platinum in the US by the RIAA, it produced his first number one on the Hot Country Songs chart with "But for the Grace of God". "Somebody Like You", the first single from his second Capitol album Golden Road (2002), was named by Billboard as the biggest country hit of the 2000s decade. The album's fourth single, "You'll Think of Me" featuring his nephew and fellow country artist Rory Gilliatte, earned him his first Grammy Award. 2004's Be Here, his third American album became his highest-selling album, being certified 4× Platinum. Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing was released in 2006, containing "Once in a Lifetime" as well as his second Grammy Award-winning song, "Stupid Boy". A greatest hits package titled Greatest Hits: 18 Kids followed in late 2007. Defying Gravity and Get Closer were released on 31 March 2009 and 16 November 2010, respectively. In September 2013, he released the album Fuse, which produced four more number ones on the Country Airplay chart. "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" was released in June 2015 as the lead single of his eighth American studio album, Ripcord. Later the album produced the Country Airplay chart number-one hits "Break on Me", "Wasted Time", and "Blue Ain't Your Color", with the latter also becoming Urban's longest-reigning number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, spending 12 weeks atop the chart. His tenth album, Graffiti U, was released in 2018 and includes the Top 10 hit "Coming Home". His eleventh album The Speed of Now Part 1 was released in 2020 and includes the global hit "One Too Many" with Pink, in addition to Country Airplay top ten hits "We Were" and "God Whispered Your Name". Urban was a coach on the Australian version of the singing competition The Voice and a judge on American Idol. In October 2013, he introduced his own signature line of guitars and accessories.

4. Neil Finn (b. 1958)

With an HPI of 44.87, Neil Finn is the 4th most famous New Zealander Singer.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for being a principal member of Split Enz, of which he shared lead duties with his brother Tim, and the lead singer, guitarist, and a founding member of Crowded House. He was also a member of Fleetwood Mac from 2018 until 2022. Ed O'Brien of Radiohead has hailed Finn as popular music's "most prolific writer of great songs". Finn joined Split Enz in 1977 after the departure of founding member Phil Judd and facilitated the band's shift away from art rock towards new wave pop. Gradually rising in creative prominence within the band, he wrote the majority of the band's hits in the 1980s, including "I Got You", "One Step Ahead", "History Never Repeats", and "Message to My Girl". After Split Enz broke up in 1984, Finn helped form Crowded House with Split Enz's final drummer Paul Hester and served as the band's lead singer and principal songwriter. Crowded House achieved international success in 1987 when they released the single "Don't Dream It's Over", written by Finn. After Crowded House disbanded in 1996, Finn and his brother released two albums as the Finn Brothers, before reforming Crowded House in 2006. In April 2018, Finn joined Fleetwood Mac for their tour that year and was a member of the band until they disbanded in 2022. Finn has also recorded several successful solo albums, assembled diverse musicians for the 7 Worlds Collide project, and contributed to several film and television soundtracks.

5. Hayley Westenra (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 37.50, Hayley Westenra is the 5th most famous New Zealander Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide, making it one of the fastest selling albums in her country's history. She is one of the youngest UNICEF Ambassadors to date. Westenra has sung in English, Māori, Irish, Welsh, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Latin, Japanese, Standard Mandarin Chinese, Catalan, and Taiwanese Hokkien.

6. Lorde (b. 1996)

With an HPI of 36.87, Lorde is the 6th most famous New Zealander Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 68 different languages.

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( LORD), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting. Lorde gained attention performing at a talent show in her early teens. She signed with Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2009 and collaborated with producer Joel Little in 2011. Their first effort, an extended play (EP) titled The Love Club EP, was self-released in 2012 for free download on SoundCloud before it was commercially released in 2013. The EP's single "Royals" reached number one in Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where it spent nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. It sold 10 million units worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Her debut studio album Pure Heroine was released that same year to critical and commercial success. The following year, Lorde curated the soundtrack for the 2014 film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. Lorde collaborated with producer Jack Antonoff for her second studio album Melodrama (2017), which received widespread critical acclaim and debuted atop the US Billboard 200. The album has since been ranked in Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and Pitchfork's list of the "Greatest Albums of the 2010s". Lorde ventured into indie folk and psychedelic styles for her third studio album, Solar Power (2021). The album reached number one in Australia and New Zealand and the top-10 in numerous other countries, although it polarised music critics and fans alike. Lorde's accolades include two Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. She appeared in Time's list of the most influential teenagers in 2013 and 2014, and the 2014 edition of Forbes 30 Under 30. In addition to her solo work, she has co-written songs for other artists, including Broods and Bleachers. As of June 2017, Lorde had sold over five million albums worldwide.

7. Kimbra (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 34.34, Kimbra is the 7th most famous New Zealander Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and seven New Zealand Music Awards. Kimbra's debut album, Vows, was released in 2011. Singles from the album include "Settle Down", "Cameo Lover" (which won an Australian Recording Industry Association Award), "Good Intent" and "Two Way Street". A reworked version of the album was released in Europe and the United States in 2012. It featured several new songs, including "Come into My Head", "Warrior" (on which Kimbra was joined by musicians Mark Foster from Foster the People and DJ A-Trak), and a cover of Nina Simone's "Plain Gold Ring". Vows reached the top 5 in New Zealand and Australia. In May 2012, the album was released in North America, debuting at number 14 on the Billboard 200, her highest-charting album. Vincent Fantauzzo's portrait of Kimbra was a finalist for the 2012 Archibald Prize. The portrait was painted in conjunction with the making of a video featuring her song "The Build Up". She was featured on the 2011 multi-platinum single "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye, which became her first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned them two awards at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, including for Record of the Year, making her the third New Zealand singer to win a Grammy Award. Her second studio album, The Golden Echo, was released in 2014 to positive critical reception, and her third album, Primal Heart, was released in 2018. Her fourth album, A Reckoning, was released on 27 January 2023. She recorded a fifth studio album with several other collaborators, titled Idols & Vices (Vol. 1), which was released in September 2024.

8. Brooke Fraser (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 28.56, Brooke Fraser is the 8th most famous New Zealander Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Brooke Gabrielle Ligertwood (née Fraser; born 15 December 1983), professionally known as Brooke Fraser, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. After signing with Sony BMG in 2002, she gained recognition for her debut album, What to Do with Daylight (2003) and followed with Albertine (2006) and Flags (2010). All three debuted at number one on the RMNZ chart and gained her the number one single "Something in the Water". She later released Brutal Romantic (2014), various compilation albums, the live album Seven (2022) and Eight (2023). The latter two were released by Capitol CMG under her married name, Brooke Ligertwood. Fraser became a member of the Australian Christian music group Hillsong Worship, where she wrote and performed several songs for the collective. She rejoined the group from 2016 until 2023, where she had performed on various songs including "Who You Say I Am", "King of Kings" and "What a Beautiful Name". Fraser co-wrote and performed the latter live track, and won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance in 2018.

9. Daniel Bedingfield (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 27.15, Daniel Bedingfield is the 9th most famous New Zealander Singer.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Daniel John Bedingfield (born 3 December 1979) is a New Zealand-British singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. His debut studio album, Gotta Get thru This (2002), spawned three UK number ones, "Gotta Get thru This", "If You're Not the One" and "Never Gonna Leave Your Side", and sold 1.6 million copies in that country. His second album, Second First Impression, was released in 2004. Bedingfield was a judge on The X Factor New Zealand in 2013. He has written songs for other artists and has acted in the West End theatre in London, UK.

10. Bic Runga (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 25.66, Bic Runga is the 10th most famous New Zealander Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Briolette Kah Bic Runga (born 13 January 1976), 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".