UKG is really having a moment in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The old-school genre, which powered out of the English underground in the ’90s, is enjoying a resurgence on these shores through the likes of Caru and Brandn Shiraz’s joint releases and producer Haan808’s new creative chapter.
Now, it’s the turn of South Auckland artist Talia Perese to take on the genre.
The Manurewa-raised rising star’s new single “Groundhog Day” sees her merge UKG with her traditional R&B-meets-pop style to create a proper throwback anthem; listening to the song, it’s easy to imagine hearing it being blasted out of speakers on a London windowsill at the turn of the century.
Perese isn’t alone on her new drop. Sydney hyperpop artist Zhuli offers stellar support, as does Avondale’s MELODOWNZ — who recently featured in our mid-year New Zealand albums list with BRON — with a short but sweet guest verse.
Peres’s consistency over the first half of 2026 has been impressive.
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“Groundhog Day” follows recent singles like “25/8”, “Mess We Made”, a collaboration with Donson PK, and “Something Stupid”, the latter of which made it into our weekly ANZ music roundup when it was released.
“Talia Perese drops a proper old-school R&B single,” we wrote at the time. “‘Something Stupid’ explores the trap of falling for the wrong person’s empty promises (we’ve all been there).”
Perese is one of the artists making South Auckland one of our country’s most exciting music hotbeds right now, and it’s easy to forget that she’s barely out of her teens — a big future in music surely lies ahead of her.
Awards voters clearly agree, with the Phillip Fuemana Award — Most Promising Pacific Artist being bestowed upon Perese at the 2026 Pacific Music Awards.
She’s also been making waves on platforms like TikTok through her link-ups with producer extraordinaire EDYONTHEBEAT, who also manages her.
Talia Perese’s “Groundhog Day” (ft. Zhuli & MELODOWNZ) is out now.
