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Kulcha were an Australian R&B band formed in 1993 by four vocalists Joe Fidow, Richard Matila, Eric Palu and Jay Whitmore. They have Samoan or Māori ancestry. They released two studio albums, Kulcha (September 1994) and Take Your Time (May 1997), the former reached No. 13 in Australia and No. 5 in New Zealand. Their top 10 singles are "Shaka Jam" in both markets, and "Don't Be Shy" and "Fly Girl" in New Zealand.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995 their self-titled album was nominated for Best Pop Release and "Shaka Jam" was nominated for the Highest Selling Single. Their songs featured on episodes of TV series, Heartbreak High, in 1994, 1995 and 1997.

History

The four members of Kulcha, Joe Fidow, Richard Matila, Eric Palu and Jay Whitmore were all raised in New Zealand but formed their R&B band in Sydney in 1993. They have Māori or Samoan ancestry. Kulcha issued their debut single, "Shaka Jam", in May 1994 via East West Records. It was recorded at Mo Brown Studios with Matthew O'Connor producing. It had been broadcast on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)'s programme, Blackout, series 6, episode 3, which aired in December 1993. It reached No. 7 on the ARIA Singles chart and No. 8 in New Zealand.

Their songs featured on episodes 15 and 38 in Season 1 (1994) of TV series, Heartbreak High with "Shaka Jam", "Spend the Night", "Don't Be Shy" and "Fly Girl"; episode 62 of Season 2 (1995) with "Nasty" and episode 157 of Season 6 (1997) with "Do You Like It?".

Band members

• Joe Fidow
• Richard Matila
• Eric Palu
• Jay Whitmore

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987.

References

1. Duck, Steve (18 March 2016), "5 of Australia's Best 90s R&B Jams", Complex
2. Eliezer, Christie (12 November 1994), "Kulcha. Attracts Muticultural Generation X", Billboard
3. ^ "National Australia Day Concert 1996". telstra.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 September 1999. Retrieved 25 August 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "Blackout Series 6". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 1999. Archived from the original on 8 February 2002. Retrieved 26 August 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
5. ^ Australian (ARIA Chart)"australian-charts.com > Discography Kulcha". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
6. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Kulcha". New Zealand Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
7. Zuk, Tony. "Australian Television: Heartbreak High: episode guide: series 1". Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
8. Zuk, Tony. "Australian Television: Heartbreak High: Music Credits". Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
9. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 159.
10. "New Zealand single certifications – Don't Be Shy". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
11. "New Zealand single certifications – Fly Girl". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.

• Australian contemporary R&B musical groups