Muroki Is Travelling the World and Soaking Up Stories

This interview is part of our Future of Music 2026 series. Follow all the coverage here.

Muroki was the first artist signed to BENEE’s independent label, Olive Records, for a reason.

A shapeshifting artist of the highest order, equally comfortable making pop, reggae, and indie songs, Muroki has been making waves since, well, “Wavy” became a breakout hit five years ago.

Since then Muroki has bounced from country to country, soaking up different music scenes and cultures, from Raglan to Kenya and Berlin.

That’s why his highly anticipated debut album, Amber Skies, sounded like a truly global affair when it was released this year, written and recorded as it was while Muroki was living a nomadic lifestyle between Germany, the Portuguese coast, back with his family in Kenya, and in Aotearoa.

Muroki returned home to celebrate Amber Skies with his first New Zealand tour in three years, including a special show at Auckland Arts Festival.

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Read an exclusive interview with Muroki below.

Rolling Stone AU/NZ: What does it mean to you to be included in Rolling Stone’s Future of Music series?

Muroki: It’s an honour. Rolling Stone is obviously such a prestigious magazine, so I’m stoked to be included.

How did you first get your start in music?

I’ve been playing music pretty much my whole life. I started releasing music when I was 16 with my band Cloak Bay, and two years later I decided to give going solo a shot.

Describe your sound to a new listener in three words.

Rustic indie pop.

Tell us about your latest release.

I released my debut album Amber Skies in January. I wrote it across New Zealand, Berlin, and Kenya, and it really captures that in-between feeling of constantly moving — the highs, the chaos, the love, and the loneliness that comes with it.
The title came from sunsets. No matter where I was, that same amber sky always felt like the one constant. Sonically, the album feels like a sunset too — sun-baked, groovy, and chill.

What’s your favourite career memory so far?

Jack Johnson and I ended up workshopping a mashup of his song “Breakdown” and my song “Wavy” backstage before his Auckland show. Then we jammed it live together at Western Springs in front of a 20,000 people. Pretty surreal memory.

What are the positives and negatives of being a musician in 2026?

AI is definitely shifting the landscape of music at the moment, and I think eventually people genuinely won’t be able to tell whether they’re listening to a human or a computer. But the silver lining is that I think people will crave live music even more, because it’s real and human.

Financially, it’s also a really difficult time — not just for musicians, but for most people. Everyone’s feeling stretched, and going to gigs comes after rent and food. That affects the entire music ecosystem.

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What’s one thing you’d change about the ANZ music industry?

Since moving to Europe, I’ve actually come to appreciate the AU/NZ music industry a lot more. Compared to a lot of countries with Western music scenes, we really do have it pretty good. That said, I’d love to see more funding going into grassroots and independent festivals.

Are you hopeful for the future of music in ANZ?

Of course. Music never stops. As long as there are people, there’ll always be music.

Name one other ANZ act you’d like to see make our Future of Music series in the future.

I’d love to see Mara TK on here. His album Bad Meditation is one of the best bodies of work to come out of Aotearoa in my opinion. Super underrated.

What’s coming up for you this year?

I’m currently touring New Zealand, Australia, and the UK/Europe. I’m actually writing this from The Great Escape in Brighton. I’m also deep into creating my next body of work, which I’m really excited about. So yeah — more shows and more music.