Overview
The Cross Street Music Festival is fast approaching for 2024, with some of Aotearoa's most-talented musical artists set to come together to celebrate the country's diverse music scene. On Saturday, March 9, a group of established and up-and-coming New Zealand artists will take the stage on Cross Street, a laneway located just off Auckland's melting pot of culture: Karangahape Road. The boutique festival first launched in 2018, following a raft of venue closures in the area, resulting in fewer venues where smaller and non-mainstream performers could flex their singing chops.
The festival's lineup is known for featuring a wide range of music genres and performers, as well as keeping the bill filled of Aotearoa-only acts, giving the country's local talent a chance to shine. One of the biggest players on the 2024 roster is Princess Chelsea, also known as Chelsea Nikkel. Nikkel has been making noise in the music scene for more than a decade, following the viral success of her song 'The Cigarette Duet', which has racked up a massive 103 million views on Youtube since its release in 2012.
Nikkel is joined by Balu Brigada, two brothers who are experiencing a huge rise to fame, after being signed by Atlantic Records two years ago and dubbed Best New Artist by People magazine. Although they currently reside in New York, they're coming back home to take the Cross Street stage.
Other artists on the lineup include Geoff Ong and Te KuraHuia. Ong has worn many hats during his time in the music scene, from his current role as a pop singer-songwriter to his past lives as a trombone player, metalcore band member and hip hop music video producer, just to name a few. These days, Ong is focusing on making pop music that people can dance to, but will also leave them with something to think about.
Te KuraHuia is also a musician with many hats, not just in a singer-songwriter sense but as an artist who uses her cultural identity as a Māori Pasifika wahine to inspire others to take pride in who they are and where they have come from.
Cross Street Music Festival 2024 Lineup:
Princess Chelsea
Balu Brigada
Kedu Carlo
Fathe and the Sweetos
Junior Junior
Deepstate
Fruju Peak
Mirror Ritual
Baby Zionov
Hot Sauce Club
Od
Solnate
Heylady
Geoff Ong
Te Kurahuia
Eli Chico
The 2024 Cross Street Music Festival takes place on Saturday, March 9 from 4pm–12am — head to the festival's website for tickets and further information.