#NotableKiwis: BIC RUNGA

DID YOU KNOW? Briolette Kah Bic Runga MNZM (aka Bic Runga) is a famous multi-instrumentalist Kiwi pop artist and the most successful (commercially) New Zealand singer/writer.

She was born on 13 January 1976, in Christchurch, to a Chinese mother and a Maori father. She has two other sisters, Boh and Pearl Runga – both are active in the New Zealand music industry.

Her album “Drive” propelled her to stardom in 1997 as it debuted as number 1 in the NZ Top 40 Billboard Chart. Some of the albums she has released which were commercially successful are: Drive (1997) – RMNZ 7x Platinum, Beautiful Collision (2002) – RMNZ 10x Platinum, Birds (2005) – 3x RMNZ Platinum, Belle (2011) – RMNZ Gold, Try to Remember Everything (2008) – NZ Gold, Anthology (2012). Soundtrack: Sway – American Pie, Cruel Intentions.

She also had a cameo film appearance under her belt in the 2005 critically acclaimed movie “Little Fish” as a Vietnamese lounge singer. She had been bestowed the honour MNZM – New Zealand Order of Merit in January 2006. She is currently doing shows around NZ.

(Ref: bicrunga.co.nz, IMDB, Wikipedia; Feature image: Bic Runga on the 2010 Winery Tour, in New Zealand. Photo by Nick Chappell)