Dunedin-born Niamh Crooks won the Spark Open Audition competition.
Dunedin-born Niamh Crooks won the Spark Open Audition competition.
Nothing is quite as heartwarming as a songwriting success story, let alone one that started swirling in intermediate school.
Niamh Crooks, an 18-year-old Dunedin local, has been writing songs since she was a child and started self-producing tracks when she was just 13.
Now, the singer is not only being listened to across the globe and collaborating with fellow Kiwi artists - she’s also just been voted by Aotearoa as the winner of Spark Open Audition.
What started as a TikTok “duet” with home-grown rapper JessB ended in happy tears for the South Island singer, as she nabbed the top prize.
“I was in total shock when I found out I had won - it’s insane!”, said Crooks.
“I texted my mum, she called me back straight away and I just cried - she was just as stoked as I was. And I’m just so grateful, for the opportunity, but also to everyone out there who took the time to give me a vote.”
“I was in total shock when I found out I had won – it’s insane!”
Over 100 Kiwis entered the national competition, which saw some of New Zealand’s best emerging musicians take to the stage and sing their hearts out. With the numbers whittled down to three contestants, Crooks was named a finalist along with Gibson Harris (Gibz) and Noah Seuseu.
The trio performed live on ZM last Thursday, where Crooks sang her original song Devotion. The moving song not only struck a chord with New Zealand, but saw her come out on top as the competition’s winner.
Big Fan producer Edward Liu, who mentored Crooks throughout her journey as a finalist, gushed about the rising star and her modern approach to music.
“We’ve all witnessed the way technology has transformed the music industry and become an essential tool for music artists and record labels to record music and broadcast it to their audiences.
“It’s great to see local talent in New Zealand doing the same,” he said.
“Niamh and I clicked pretty much instantly,” the producer shared, adding that he was “extremely impressed” by how quickly she worked.
“I would hum a melody, and then moments later she’d already have the lyrics worked out”, he revealed.
“We bounced off each other for ideas regarding song concepts, and it was great to work with someone with such an open mind.”
In nabbing the top spot, Crooks also came away with $10,000 worth of prizes to help accelerate her music career.
That includes a Rockshop prize pack and studio time at Big Fan to further hone her sound with the support of mentors dedicated to helping people fulfil their ambitions through music.
When asked what she’d do with the prize, she said: “I’m really excited to buy a new microphone and interface so I can record high-quality music in my room, and I’m super-excited to get the chance to work with Big Fan again so I can make more music.”
“Tech has really changed the game when it comes to collaborating with other artists around the country and the world, which means we no longer have to be in the same room as them, so I’m really looking forward to collaborating more with [NZ producer] Edy and other artists further from my bedroom in Christchurch.”
