Lynda Topp

Lynda Topp has delighted audiences from Gore to Nashville with her distinctive yodelling, music and comedy alongside her twin sister Jools Topp. According to Jools, "the first time Lynda heard a yodel she went into this sort of swoon and became obsessed about learning it".

Born in Huntly in 1958, Lynda and Jools began their entertainment careers on their parents' dairy farm, singing to the animals and at family events. After a short stint in the army in the late seventies, the girls ventured out to busk on the streets where they attracted the student crowd and the queer community with their harmonious political songs. Soon they were travelling the country with their backpacks and their guitars as The Topp Twins, singing songs of love, politics and New Zealand from the student scene in Dunedin to the streets of Auckland.

From an early age, the Topps were upfront about being ‘out' lesbians; many of their songs reflected this and became anthems for the lesbian community. They became darlings of the activist movements, singing at the frequent protest marches and public rallies of the early eighties, from Māori land rights and Reclaim the Night marches to the anti-apartheid and anti-nuclear movements across New Zealand.

Lynda directed many of the Topp Twins' television shows from TV3's prime-time series, Do Not Adjust Your Twinset, to television specials and the spin-off character show, Ken's Hunting and Fishing Show, which she also stars in. The best of the Topps' stage shows were filmed for a television special which won several NZ Film and TV Awards including 1987 Entertainers of the Year, Best Entertainment Program and Best Original Music.

When Jools was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, the Topps integrated the experience into their live shows and spoke to the media about it to raise awareness about breast cancer in New Zealand. This episode has become part of the documentary about their lives, Untouchable Gals, directed by Leanne Pooley of Spacific Films. 

The Topp Twins have a loyal following not only in New Zealand but throughout the world.