Six60: The Life Story Behind the Biggest Band of New Zealand
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Six60 is the biggest band in New Zealand, and they became the biggest by doing something simple, which is writing songs that New Zealanders love to sing. Their songs, like “Don’t Forget Your Roots”, “Rise Up”, “Special”, and “The Greatest”, are played at parties, at barbecues, at sports games, and on long drives, and they are sung by people of all ages. The band started in a student flat in Dunedin, with five young men who loved music, and they became the first New Zealand band to sell out a stadium, the first to headline Eden Park, and the band that more New Zealanders have seen live than any other. Their story is a story about friendship, about hard work, and about songs that belong to a whole country.
The band was formed in 2006, when the members were students at the University of Otago in Dunedin. They lived in a flat at 660 Castle Street, and they took their name from that address, Six60. They were not a band that planned to be famous. They were five friends who played music together, who wrote songs, and who played at student parties. But their songs were good, and their live shows were full of energy, and people began to notice them. They were a band that made people happy, and that happiness was catching.
What makes their story worth telling is the way they grew from a student flat to a stadium band, without losing the feeling that made them special. They stayed friends, they kept writing songs about home and about life, and they kept playing live shows that brought people together. They are a band that New Zealand is proud of, and their story is a story about what happens when five friends trust their music and their audience. This is the story of Six60, the biggest band New Zealand has ever had.
A Student Flat in Dunedin
Six60 was formed in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 2006, when five young men were students at the University of Otago. The members were Matiu Walters on vocals and guitar, Ji Fraser on guitar, Chris Mac on bass, Eli Paewai on drums, and Marlon Gerbes on keyboards and guitar. They lived in a flat at 660 Castle Street, a famous student street in Dunedin, and they took their name from that address, Six60. It was a simple name, and it was also a perfect name for them, because it was about home, about friendship, and about the place where they had started.
Dunedin was a good place to be a young band. The city had a lively student culture, with parties, bars, and music venues, and it gave Six60 the chance to play live and to build an audience. They played at student parties, they played in bars, and they began to write songs. Their early songs were about the life they were living, about being young, about friendship, about love, and about home. They were songs that people could sing along to, and they were full of energy and joy.
The band’s early years were spent playing live and learning their craft. They played show after show, they wrote song after song, and they built a following one audience at a time. They were not in a hurry, and that was part of their charm. They knew that good music takes time, and they were willing to take it. They were five friends who loved playing together, and that love was clear in every show they played.
By the late 2000s, Six60 had a strong reputation in Dunedin and in New Zealand. They had released an EP, they had played at festivals, and they had built a loyal audience. They were ready to make their first album, and they were about to take their first step towards becoming the biggest band in the country.
Rise Up, Don’t Forget Your Roots, and the First Album
In 2011, Six60 released their first album, Six60, and it changed everything. The album included the songs “Rise Up 2.0”, a song about standing up and being proud, and “Don’t Forget Your Roots”, a song about home and about remembering where you come from. “Don’t Forget Your Roots” became one of the band’s most famous songs, a song that is sung by crowds at concerts and at sports games, and that is known by almost everyone in New Zealand. The song is also known by its Māori title, “Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō”, and it is a song that celebrates home and heritage.
The album was a huge success. It went to number one in New Zealand, and it stayed on the charts for a long time. It won awards at the New Zealand Music Awards, and it made Six60 famous in their own country. The band toured New Zealand to support the album, playing in towns large and small, and audiences who had never heard of them before fell in love with their music. Their live shows were full of energy, and they sang their songs with a joy that was catching.
The success of the first album also brought the band to the attention of the wider world. They toured Australia, they played at festivals, and they began to build an audience in other countries. But they did not let the success change them. They stayed close to each other, they kept writing songs, and they understood that a hit album is a gift, but it is also a test. The test is whether you can keep writing good songs after the first one, and Six60 passed that test again and again.
The years after the first album were busy, but they were also happy. The band had proved that five friends from a student flat in Dunedin could make an album that the whole country loved, and they had done it without changing who they were. That was the most important part of the story, and it was the part that made their fans love them even more.
Special, The Greatest, and Bigger Stages
The band’s second album, also called Six60, was released in 2015, and it was another success. The album included the songs “Special”, a song about love and about being special to someone, and “White Lines”, a song about life on the road. The album went to number one in New Zealand, and it showed that the band could make a second album as good as the first. They were not a one-album band. They were a band that could keep making great music.
Their third album, also called Six60, was released in 2019, and it included the song “The Greatest”, a song about being the best you can be, and “Please Don’t Go”, a song about love and loss. The album was also a success, and it showed that the band was still growing as musicians. They were experimenting with new sounds, they were writing new songs, and they were still making music that people loved. Their songs were played on the radio, they were sung by crowds, and they were loved by people of all ages.
During these years, the band also played bigger and bigger shows. They played at festivals, they played in arenas, and they played in stadiums. In 2019, they became the first New Zealand band to sell out Western Springs Stadium in Auckland, playing to a crowd of fifty thousand people. It was a remarkable achievement, and it showed how far the band had come from a student flat in Dunedin. They had become the biggest band in the country, and they had done it by writing songs that people loved to sing.
The band’s success also showed their connection with their audience. They were not a band that played for themselves. They played for the crowd, and the crowd loved them for it. Their shows were full of joy, and they made people feel happy and together. That is a rare gift, and it is why their fans keep coming back.
Eden Park, Castle St, and Making History
In 2021, Six60 made history again, becoming the first New Zealand act to headline Eden Park, the famous stadium in Auckland that is home to the All Blacks. It was a remarkable achievement, and it showed how far the band had come. They played to a huge crowd, and the concert was a celebration of their music and their country. It was a night that New Zealanders would remember for a long time, and it was a fitting reward for a band that had worked so hard.
In 2022, the band released their fourth album, Castle St, named after the street where they had lived as students in Dunedin. The album was a tribute to their beginnings, and it was full of songs that were warm and honest, with stories about home, about friendship, and about growing up. The album was well received, and it showed that the band was still writing great songs, and that they had not forgotten where they came from. The name Castle St was a reminder that the band’s story began in a student flat, and that they were proud of it.
During these years, the band also continued to tour, playing in New Zealand, Australia, and other countries. They played at festivals, they played in stadiums, and they played to audiences who loved them. They were a band that had become a national treasure, and they were enjoying every moment of it. They had come from a student flat, and they had become the biggest band in the country, and they had done it by being themselves.
The band’s later work also showed their generosity. They worked with young musicians, they supported New Zealand music, and they remained proud of their home. They were not just stars who had left Dunedin behind. They were musicians who had taken Dunedin with them, and who had shown the world that a small city can produce a great band.
The Live Shows and the Crowds
The live shows of Six60 are the heart of their story, and they are some of the best live shows in the world. The band plays with energy and joy, and they make the crowd feel like they are part of the show. They sing their songs, the crowd sings along, and the whole stadium becomes a choir. It is a shared experience, a night where the band and the audience become one, and it is why their fans love them so much. Their shows are not just concerts. They are celebrations, and they are nights that people remember for a long time.
The band has played to more New Zealanders than any other band in history, and that is a remarkable achievement. They have played in every part of the country, in towns large and small, and they have made people in each place feel special. They do not just play in the big cities. They play in the small towns too, because they know that their fans are everywhere, and that every fan deserves a great show. That is a rare thing in the music business, where many bands only play in the big cities, and it is why Six60 is loved by so many people.
Their live shows also show their connection with Māori culture. The band sings in te reo Māori, the Māori language, and their songs celebrate the culture of New Zealand. “Don’t Forget Your Roots” is sung in both English and Māori, and it is a song that makes people proud of their home. The band’s respect for Māori culture is part of their story, and it is part of why they are loved by people of all backgrounds in New Zealand.
The band’s live work has also helped them to build a worldwide audience. People who see them at a festival tell their friends, and their friends come to the next show, and the audience grows. It is a slow and honest way to build a career, but it is a lasting way, and it is why the band has fans in many countries. They did not become famous overnight. They became famous one show at a time, and that is the best way to become famous.
The Later Years and a Band That Lasts
In their later years, Six60 has continued to perform and record, and their music is still loved by people around the world. They play concerts in New Zealand, in Australia, and in other countries, and they work on new music at their own pace. They do not rush their albums, and they do not release songs they do not believe in. That patience is part of their gift, and it is also part of their strength.
They have also become mentors to younger musicians in New Zealand. Young bands look up to them as an example of how to build a career, how to write a great song, and how to stay true to your music. Six60 showed them that you can come from a student flat, make people happy, and become the biggest band in the country, and that you can do it by being honest and by working hard. That is a legacy that goes beyond their own records, and it is one of the most important parts of their story.
Their influence on New Zealand music has also grown. They are regarded as one of the most important bands in the country’s history, and their albums are studied by young musicians who want to learn how to write a pop song. They opened a door for other bands, and they showed that a band from New Zealand can make music that the whole world loves. That is a remarkable achievement, and it is one that will last.
Today, Six60 continues to play, to record, and to make people happy. They are a band that has lasted for almost twenty years, through changes in the music business, through changes in their sound, and through the ups and downs of a long career, and they are still making music that matters. That is a testament to the power of their songs and their friendship.
The Legacy of New Zealand’s Biggest Band
Today, Six60 stands as the biggest band in New Zealand history. Their songs are still played on the radio, their albums are still loved, and their story is still told. They were a band that started in a student flat in Dunedin, with five friends who loved music, and they became the first New Zealand band to sell out a stadium, the first to headline Eden Park, and the band that more New Zealanders have seen live than any other. Their legacy is not just in the hit songs. It is in the idea that a band can be big and still be humble, that a band can be famous and still be friends, and that a band from a small country can make music that the whole world loves.
Their story matters because it shows a different way to be famous. They did not become famous by being loud, or by chasing the latest fashion, or by making a show of their lives. They became famous by writing good songs, by playing them live, and by doing that work again and again for almost twenty years. That is a simple story, but it is not an easy one, and very few bands manage it.
Six60’s music will last because it is about things that do not change. Home, friendship, love, and the feeling of being proud of where you come from are the same for every generation, and their songs speak to those things in a clear and honest way. A young person hearing “Don’t Forget Your Roots” for the first time today can feel what a young person felt when they heard it in 2011, and that is the mark of a great song. Six60 wrote songs that will outlive them, and that is the best thing any band can hope for.
Songs in Two Languages
One of the most remarkable things about Six60 is how they sing in both English and te reo Māori, the Māori language of New Zealand. Their most famous song, “Don’t Forget Your Roots”, is also known by its Māori title, “Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō”, and the band sings it in both languages. That is a beautiful thing to do, because it honours the culture of New Zealand and shows respect for the people who have lived there for centuries. When the band sings in Māori, Māori audiences feel proud, and other New Zealanders feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves.
The band’s use of te reo Māori is not just a gesture. It is a real part of their music, and it shows that they understand that New Zealand is a country with two cultures, Māori and Pākehā, and that both are important. Their songs celebrate home, and home includes the Māori language, the Māori people, and the Māori stories of the land. That respect is part of why the band is loved by people of all backgrounds in New Zealand. They are not a band that sings only for one group. They sing for everyone, and they sing in the languages of everyone.
Young musicians in New Zealand who hear Six60 learn that they can sing in te reo Māori and be popular, and that they do not need to choose between their culture and success. That is a legacy that goes beyond the band’s own records, and it is one of the most important parts of their story. Six60 showed that a band can be proud of its home, proud of its language, and proud of its people, and that pride can make the music stronger.
Their songs are also played at every kind of celebration in New Zealand, from birthdays to weddings to sports victories, and that is because they are songs about joy. When people want to celebrate, they play Six60, and when they play Six60, they sing along. That is a wonderful thing for a band to be, the sound of a country’s happiness, and it is a role that Six60 has earned through years of honest work and great songs.
My Take:
When I think about Six60, the first thing I feel is joy, because their story is a story about five friends who started in a student flat and became the biggest band in their country. I have heard many stories about bands that start with big plans and big money, but Six60 started with nothing but a flat at 660 Castle Street, a few guitars, and a love of music. That is a beautiful thing, and it shows that you do not need a lot of money to make great music. You need good songs, good friends, and the courage to play them for people. Six60 had all three, and their story shows what happens when five friends trust their music.
I admire their songs, because they are songs that New Zealanders love to sing. When I hear “Don’t Forget Your Roots”, I feel the pride of a person who loves their home, and I feel the warmth of a song that is about remembering where you come from. When I hear “Rise Up”, I feel the energy of a person who is standing up and being proud. When I hear “Special”, I feel the love of a person who is telling someone that they are special. Those are three very different feelings, and Six60 can write about all of them, and that is a remarkable gift. Their songs are simple, but they are not simple in a boring way. They are simple in the best way, because they say true things in clear words.
What I love most about their story is the way they have stayed friends. They have been together for almost twenty years, and they are still the same five friends who started in Dunedin. That is a long time, and it is a rare thing in the music business, where bands often break up over money, over fame, or over small arguments. Six60 stayed together, they kept writing songs, and they kept playing live, and that tells me that their friendship is real. I think that is beautiful, and it is a lesson for all of us. A good friendship is worth more than a hit song, and it lasts longer too.
I think about their concert at Western Springs Stadium often, because it is a remarkable achievement. They became the first New Zealand band to sell out a stadium, playing to fifty thousand people, and they did it with songs that they had written in a student flat. That is a wonderful thing, and it shows how far they have come. But I also admire the way they did it. They did not become arrogant, they did not forget where they came from, and they named their next album Castle St, after the street where they had lived as students. That tells me that they are proud of their beginnings, and that they have not forgotten them. I respect that very much.
There is something I find sad in their story, though it is a small sadness. It is that a band as big as Six60 is not always known outside New Zealand and Australia. The world loves pop music from America and Britain, but it does not always listen to music from New Zealand. I think Six60 deserves to be known around the world, because their songs are as good as any pop songs, and in some ways they are better, because they are honest and joyful. But I also think that their fans in New Zealand love them more because they are a New Zealand band, and that is a kind of success that lasts longer than world fame.
I also think about the way they sing in te reo Māori, and I admire that very much. “Don’t Forget Your Roots” is sung in both English and Māori, and it is a song that celebrates the culture of New Zealand. That is a beautiful thing to do, and it shows that the band respects the people and the land they come from. Many bands would not bother to sing in another language, but Six60 did, and it made their music richer and more meaningful. I think that is a lesson for any band. You should be proud of where you come from, and you should let that pride show in your music.
If I were to tell a young band what to learn from Six60, I would say this. First, start where you are, with the friends you have and the instruments you have, because you do not need a lot to make great music. Second, write songs that people can sing along to, because a song that people can sing is a song that people will remember. Third, play live, and play everywhere, because a live show is where a band truly meets its audience, and a good live show can change a life. Fourth, stay friends, because a band is a family, and families need love and patience. Six60 did all of these things, and their career shows what happens when a band trusts its music and its friendship.
I think their album Castle St is a beautiful part of their story, because it is a tribute to their beginnings, and it shows that they have not forgotten where they came from. Many bands forget their early days once they become famous, but Six60 remembered, and they made an album about it. That is a lovely thing to do, and it tells me that they are humble and grateful. A band that remembers its beginnings is a band that can be trusted, and Six60 can be trusted.
When I finish thinking about their story, I feel happy. I feel happy because there are bands like Six60 in the world, bands that start in a student flat, that stay friends, that write songs people love to sing, and that become the biggest band in their country. Their story is a reminder that great music does not need a lot of money or a big plan. It needs good songs, good friends, and the courage to play them. Six60 is a band from Dunedin that became the biggest band in New Zealand, and their story will be told for a long time.
I also think about the way their songs are sung at sports games, and it makes me happy. “Don’t Forget Your Roots” is sung by crowds at rugby games, at concerts, and at celebrations, and each time it plays, people sing along. That is because their songs have a quality that fits the most joyful moments of life, a pride and a warmth that makes a moment feel special. I think that is a wonderful thing for a song to do, to be part of a nation’s celebrations, and Six60’s songs do that, and they do it without trying. They are simply proud, and pride lasts.
There is another part of their story that I admire, and it is the way Matiu Walters sings. His voice is warm and clear, and it carries the band’s songs with a feeling that is hard to describe. When he sings “Don’t Forget Your Roots”, you can hear the love he has for his home, and when he sings “Special”, you can hear the love he has for another person. That is a rare gift, and it is why the band’s songs are so memorable. A singer who can make a simple song feel deep is a singer who understands music, and Matiu does. His voice is the heart of the band, and it is the reason their music feels so human.
I think about their friendship often, because it is a friendship that has lasted for almost twenty years. They met as students, they lived in a flat together, and they have been friends ever since. That is a long time, and it is a rare thing in the music business, where bands often break up over money or fame. Six60 stayed together, they kept writing songs, and they kept playing live, and that tells me that their friendship is real. I think that is beautiful, and it is a lesson for all of us. A good friendship is worth more than a hit song, and it lasts longer too.
I also admire the way the band has handled the music business. They have seen record companies come and go, they have seen radio change, and they have seen the whole industry move from CDs to streaming, and they have kept working through all of it. That takes a kind of steadiness that I respect, because it is easy to give up when the world changes around you. Six60 did not give up. They kept writing, they kept recording, and they kept finding people who wanted to hear their songs. That is a lesson for anyone who works in a changing world. You cannot control the changes, but you can control your work, and if your work is good, it will find its people.
There is a small sadness I feel when I think about how the world outside New Zealand knows so little about them. In New Zealand, they are the biggest band in history, but in America or Britain, many people have never heard their name. That is unfair, because their songs are as good as any pop songs in the world, and in some ways they are better, because they are joyful and honest. But I also think that being loved deeply by one country matters more than being known lightly by many countries. Six60 is loved deeply by New Zealand, and that love is real, and it will last.
I think about the word home, because it is a word that describes their whole career. Their songs are about home, their name is about home, and their album Castle St is about home. Home is not a loud word, and it is not a word that the music business uses very often. But it is a word that matters, because a band that sings about home will be loved by the people who live there, and that love will last. Six60 has earned that love, and they have kept it.
If I were to sum up what their story teaches me, it would be this. A career is not a single moment. It is a lifetime of moments, some big and some small, and the small ones matter as much as the big ones. The big moment was selling out Western Springs Stadium, but the small moments were the songs written in a student flat, the shows played at student parties, and the nights spent with friends who believed in the music. Those small moments built the career, and they are the reason the big moment was possible. I think that is a beautiful truth, and it is one that I will remember.
I also feel grateful for the simple pleasure of their music. There are songs that make you think, and there are songs that make you feel, and Six60’s songs do both, but they also do something simpler, which is to make you happy. When I hear “Don’t Forget Your Roots”, I smile, and I feel proud, even if I am far from home. That is a gift, and it is a gift that Six60 has given to millions of people. A band that can make people feel proud is a band that has done something wonderful, and Six60 has done it for a very long time.
In the end, I think Six60’s story is a story about friendship and home. It is about five friends from a student flat in Dunedin who became the biggest band in New Zealand, not by being loud, but by writing songs that people loved to sing. They did not need to leave home to be important. They needed only to be honest, to work hard, and to sing the truth about where they came from. That is a story that will inspire bands for many years to come, and it is a story that I am glad to have told.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Six60 and why are they famous?
Six60 is a band from New Zealand, formed in Dunedin in 2006 by five students at the University of Otago. They are famous for their hit songs, including “Don’t Forget Your Roots”, “Rise Up”, “Special”, and “The Greatest”. They are the biggest band in New Zealand, the first New Zealand band to sell out Western Springs Stadium, and the first New Zealand act to headline Eden Park.
What does the name Six60 mean?
The name Six60 comes from the address of the flat where the band members lived as students in Dunedin, 660 Castle Street. The band took the number 660 and turned it into Six60, a name that is about home, friendship, and the place where they started. Their album Castle St, released in 2022, was also named after the street where they lived.
What are Six60’s most famous songs?
Their most famous songs are “Don’t Forget Your Roots”, also known by its Māori title “Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō”, “Rise Up 2.0”, “Special”, “The Greatest”, and “White Lines”. Each song is about home, love, friendship, or being proud of where you come from, and each one is sung by crowds at concerts and at sports games in New Zealand.
Who are the members of Six60?
The members of Six60 are Matiu Walters on vocals and guitar, Ji Fraser on guitar, Chris Mac on bass, Eli Paewai on drums, and Marlon Gerbes on keyboards and guitar. The five met as students at the University of Otago in Dunedin in 2006, and they have been together ever since, making them one of the longest-lasting bands in New Zealand.
What records have Six60 set in New Zealand?
Six60 became the first New Zealand band to sell out Western Springs Stadium in Auckland in 2019, playing to a crowd of fifty thousand people. In 2021, they became the first New Zealand act to headline Eden Park, the famous stadium in Auckland. They have also played to more New Zealanders live than any other band in the country’s history.
What are Six60’s most famous albums?
Their most famous albums are Six60 from 2011, Six60 from 2015, Six60 from 2019, and Castle St from 2022. The first three albums all share the same title, Six60, and each one went to number one in New Zealand. Castle St was named after the street where the band lived as students in Dunedin.
Is Six60 still making music today?
Yes, Six60 continues to make music and perform live. Their album Castle St was released in 2022, and they still play concerts in New Zealand, Australia, and other countries. They remain the biggest band in New Zealand, and their songs are still played on the radio and sung by crowds at concerts and sports games.
