New York, NY (Top40 Charts) When you begin to think about the famous names to have come out of New Zealand, your mind can often lead to sports stars as the country has become famed for its sporting ability. There are several people to have played cricket, rugby or have competed in athletics who have hailed from the nation that immediately spring to mind.
Poker has also been a sport/game that has provided the world with some famous Kiwis in the past, with the likes of Lee Nelson, Sosia Jiang, Thomas Ward, Tae Hoon Han, and Jan Suchanek having all made their fortunes playing the game. Some of them may have even played at an online casino in New Zealand during their downtime to continue to practice their skills or try their hand at other types of casino games.
This can be a little more difficult when trying to think of musicians from the country. Nonetheless, there are a few artists who have been successful worldwide and have managed to have hits in multiple countries around the world.
Lorde
Perhaps one of the most famous is Lorde. Ella Marija Lan Yelich-O'Connor, who uses the stage name Lorde, has had several chart-topping hits, with "Royals" and "Team" among the most successful to have been released.
Born in Auckland, her song "Royals" would go on to be a #1 hit when she was just 16. She has since had plenty of commercial success and has been rewarded for her work with several awards. She has two Grammies, two Brits, and a Golden Globe nomination.
If you had questions about the origin of her actual name, it would be due to the fact that she is also Croatian. Her mother's family had immigrated to the country prior to her mother's birth, as she was also born in Auckland.
Daniel Bedingfield
You'd be forgiven if you thought Daniel Bedingfield was born in the UK, as his sister, Natasha, was. Daniel was born in Auckland, and has had a pretty successful musical career, if not a little stop-start.
He rose to fame in the early 2000s, with his track "Gotta Get Thru This" becoming a #1 single in the UK charts in 2001. He has had a further two #1s in the UK, with "If You're Not the One" (2002) and "Never Gonna Leave Your Side" in 2003. Since then, he took a hiatus and has recently returned to the scene, as he went on tour in 2024.
In 2004, he almost died in a traffic collision while visiting his parents in 2004 who still live in New Zealand. The car he was in rolled over on top of him, leaving him with severe injuries to his head and neck areas. He has since made a full recovery.
Keith Urban
Much like Daniel Bedingfield, you'd also be forgiven if you didn't realize that country singer Keith Urban was also from New Zealand and not from the country where his music is arguably best known.
The country singer has been a huge success in the United States, making him an individual most associate with being from the country. In fact, he was born in a place called Whangarei, which is the capital city of the Northland region in the country.
Married to Nicole Kidman and a father of two children, Urban has been incredibly successful in his music career. He has won several awards, including fifteen Country Music Awards. He is well respected in the industry, as he has appeared as a judge on reality shows in which people are trying to replicate the success he had as they forge out their own musical careers.
