My Favourite Singer -Bic Runga

When I was five months pregnant with my first child, Ruby, I was pottering around the house one day in Fiji when I stopped to appreciate how serene and contented I felt. Obviously this was due in no small part to the happy hormones that were swirling through my body, but there was definitely something else, another factor contributing to the peaceful ambience…I quickly realized it was the beautiful music floating through the air.

My husband was playing an album called Drive by New Zealand singer/songwriter Bic Runga. Her sweet, soothing sounds got me hooked and she’s been my all time favourite musician ever since.

Bic comes from a family of musicians, her mother was a Chinese-Malaysian lounge singer and her father a Maori pianist. Her history and the level of integrity behind her sound only adds to her appeal; not only does she have an exquisite voice but she also composes her own songs and is a very talented instrumentalist.

Sway, one of the tracks from Drive, was internationally recognized after featuring in the movie American Pie. However, in my opinion, it doesn’t even showcase the very best of her talent as there are so many other wonderful songs that leave this one in the shade.

When we were living in New Zealand in 2002, Bic released her second album, Beautiful Collision. I adore every track on there and can happily listen to it endlessly on repeat. Her lyrics are beautifully expressed; engaging, emotive, oftentimes whimsical, and I’ve frequently found myself daydreaming about the stories behind the songs.

We’d moved back to Fiji by the time Bic’s third album, Birds, was released. At first I wasn’t sure that I loved it as much as her other work, but with repeated listening it grew on me and I began to appreciate her increasingly eclectic style. Some of these tracks now list amongst my favourite songs, with Listen and That's Alright taking top spots.

In 2008 Try to Remember Everything was released, offering a treasure trove of unreleased, new and rare Bic Runga recordings, including one of my best-loved tunes, Close the Door, Put Out the Light.

Five years ago, after we’d relocated to Qatar, Bic released her fifth album, Belle. Again, there are some real gems on there, like If You Really Do, which I love as much as all the Beautiful Collision tracks.

Whatever I might be doing…cooking, painting, driving…Bic Runga is my go-to artist when I want relaxing, dulcet sounds that are guaranteed to put me in a good mood.

I’ve put together my favourite Bic tunes in this compilation, so make sure you click play next time you're in need of some happy tunes to potter about to!