Swinging it on the world stage

07 May 2009

The New Zealand song that has been our country's biggest ever seller in the US has strong links to Franklin.

And so too has New Zealand's current song of the year, Opshop's One Day.

Let's turn first to our big hit in the States, which is Swing. The tune is the work of Demetrius Savelio who was a student at Pukekohe High School and then Wesley College - and whose showbiz name is Savage.

In the US, Savage has sold over 1.5million copies of Swing. Digital downloads have altered the environment, but that number is greater than any other Kiwi tune, including previous hits like Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House and OMC's How Bizarre.

Swing took off thanks in part to being played in a nightclub scene in the 2007 movie Knocked Up. The song's success has seen Savage base himself in the States, where he has landed a four-album deal with Universal Republic. His label buddies include Jack Johnson and Amy Winehouse.

Now, what about the local link for Opshop? That's Clint Harris, who plays bass for the band. He grew up in Christchurch, but Franklin is his home now.

Opshop won just about everything possible in New Zealand music last year. Four prizes were theirs at the NZ Music Awards, including single of the year for One Day and most-played song on NZ radio with Maybe. Earlier, One Day had been awarded the country's top songwriting prize, the APRA Silver Scroll, too.

Before heading off over summer on the More FM winery tour, Clint gave a hand with judging at Acoustic Edge's song search competition in Pukekohe. Hopefully Clint and Opshop will slip a Franklin show into their plans later this year.