Anika Moa

Singer-songwriter Anika Moa admits she wanted to be a rugby player. "I played for Canterbury for years. But I chose music". The decision paid off: in 2000 she became the first Kiwi signed to an international record label before she'd had a home release. Although her debut album Thinking Room produced hits (‘Youthful', 'Falling in Love Again'), Moa returned to her Kiwi roots in 2002, keen to "stay true to herself and her musical path". Since then she has recorded a series of popular albums — including the Songs for Bubbas series, for children — and demonstrated her skills as a lively, unpredictable TV interviewer.