In celebration of Youth Week and NZ Music Month, music charities Play It Strange and BIG FAN are joining forces for the second year running to present Press Play, a youth showcase taking place on Wednesday 21st May at BIG FAN in Morningside.

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The all-ages event begins with a panel discussion upstairs at BIG FAN, bringing industry leaders and artists to explore the theme of ‘Breaking into the Music Industry in Aotearoa.’ Aspiring young musicians are encouraged to attend to gain valuable insights about navigating the NZ music landscape, making the most of available opportunities, and discovering the wide range of career paths that exist within the industry. Following the panel, the spotlight will turn to live performances from seven emerging young artists, all aged 18 and under. The performers are a mix of previous finalists from Play It Strange’s national songwriting competitions and alumni from BIG FAN’s Ignite mentoring programme. For many of the performers, this marks one of their first experiences performing live in front of an audience.

Play It Strange CEO, Stephanie Brown says: “We are thrilled to bring back this collaboration for a second time after such a positive response to last year’s pilot. Events like this are so important to give young songwriters that platform to feel seen, supported, and inspired to keep making music.”

Adding another layer of youth involvement, participants from BIG FAN’s IGNITE programme will be assisting with the delivery of the event and contributing to the live production – offering more hands-on experience for young people keen to work behind-the-scenes in music.

BIG FAN General Manager, Savina Fountain says: “Our space is perfectly set up for this type of hybrid-event, and we’re excited to give rangatahi the opportunity to build skills and confidence in the many different paths that can make up a career in music, whether that be on the stage or behind-the-scenes. These sorts of events are important for rangatahi to feel part of the music community.”

Press Play wouldn't be possible without the support of Ara Taiohi, BurgerFuel, and the dedicated partners of Play It Strange and BIG FAN.

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Check out all things BIG FAN below:

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Check out all things Play it Strange below:

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‍About BIG FAN:
BIG FAN is a not-for-profit, multi-purpose music space located in Morningside, Tāmaki Makaurau. They offer three world-class recording studios and a live music venue all under one roof. BIG FAN’s goal is to bring people together, to support the role of music in the betterment of people’s lives, and to foster the talents of musicians, songwriters and those behind the scenes, regardless of experience level.

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About Play it Strange:
Established in 2003, Play it Strange runs annual national songwriting competitions for high school students, with finalists awarded a day in a recording studio to professionally record their songs. Play it Strange releases these songs on digital albums and provide mentorship and performance opportunities. Their alumni list includes Kimbra, Georgia Nott of Broods, Liz Stokes of The Beths, Frankie Venter, Annah Mac, Louis Baker, CHAII, Luca George, Ratbag and so many more.

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