 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2010) |
Stellar | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | Pop rock |
| Years active | 1994–2010, 2017-present |
| Labels | Sony BMG |
| Past members |
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Stellar (stylisedstellar*) is a New Zealandpop rock band led by vocalistBoh Runga.[1][2]
They have had fourRIANZ top 10 singles (the highest being "Every Girl" atNo. 3) and two No. 1 albums.[3] The band's signature song is "Violent", which at the 2000New 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.[4] This was followed up by 2001'sMagic Line and 2006'sSomething Like Strangers. The band officially disbanded in 2010 after releasing their greatest hits compilation,[5] and reformed in 2017.
In 1992, musiciansBoh Runga and Andrew Maclaren moved toAuckland fromChristchurch and recorded the single "Ride" with guitarist Joel Haines. The song featured in the short filmHeadlong by Simon Raby, but the collaboration with Joel Haines did not last. 1994 to 1995 saw Runga and Maclaren recruit guitarist Simon McCormack, followed by bass player Kurt Shanks to form a four-piece, at that time the name Stellar was chosen and the first line up of the band began writing, recording and gigging around Auckland.
Simon McCormack left the band in 1997 and was replaced by a series of guitar players including Derek Solomon before Chris Van de Geer, who had worked as sound engineer on some of the band's demos, took over. In 1998 the band signed on withSony BMG music NZ, later that year they released their first commercial single "What You Do (Bastard)". 1999 saw their first album releaseMix, then the second-highest selling NZ album ever.[6] The album was produced by ex-Thompson Twins singerTom Bailey.
Mix would go on to gain Stellar numerous accolades at New Zealand's 2000 Tui awards. It was also released in Australia, and resulted in Stellar being a tour support forAlanis Morissette andGarbage. An extended version ofMix was also released, which featured a CD-ROM of three of their music videos.
In 2001 a follow-up album was released,Magic Line, a far more pop-rock based album than their first. After the release of four singles between 2001 and 2003, the band took an extended break due to different band members' solo projects before reforming.
2006 saw the release of their third albumSomething Like Strangers, producing the singles "Whiplash" and "For a While", the latter featuring Andy Lovegrove of the bandBreaks Co-Op. The band then returned to their solo projects before reuniting for one last time in October 2010 for the release ofThe Best of Stellar*.
The band reformed in 2017.[7] They played a cover ofSharon O'Neill's 1983 single"Maxine" at the New Zealand Music Awards that same year. Since then, Stellar have been playing in gigs such as the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival in 2019, and the Peachy Keen music festival in 2021.
In 2025, the band toured New Zealand, celebrating the 25th anniversary of their album Mix to sold out shows. The show saw the band playing Mix from back to front, as well as encore signature songs such as All it Takes and One More Day.
Boh Runga is the sister of recording artistBic Runga.[2][8]
| Year | Album | Chart Position | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 1999 | Mix | 1 | NZ: 5× Platinum |
| 2001 | Magic Line | 1 | NZ: Platinum |
| 2006 | Something Like Strangers | 9 | – |
| Year | Album | Chart Position | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 2010 | The Best Of Stellar* | 26 |
| Year | Single | Chart position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 1996 | "Happy Gun" | - | Non-album single |
| 1998 | "What You Do (Bastard)" | 17 | Mix |
| 1999 | "Part of Me" | 4 | |
| "Violent" | 11 | ||
| "Undone" | 13 | ||
| 2000 | "Every Girl" | 3 | |
| 2001 | "All It Takes" | 7 | Magic Line |
| 2002 | "Taken" | 6 | |
| "Star" | 40 | ||
| 2003 | "One More Day" | - | |
| 2006 | "Whiplash" | - | Something Like Strangers |
| "For a While"(featuring Andy Lovegrove) | - | ||
| 2010 | "So Alive" | - | The Best Of Stellar* |
