JGeek and the Geeks
JGeeks are a New Zealand performance Maori comedy music group best known for their songs "Maori Boy" and "The Best Day I Ever Had", as well as their 2012 appearance as finalists in New Zealand's Got Talent. The group is led by former Disney Channel and C4 television presenter and Cleo Bachelor of the Year finalist, Jermaine Leef.[1]
JGeeks | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | Electro pop, Pop, Te Reo |
| Years active | 2010 – present |
| Labels | kog.co.nz |
| Members | Jermaine Leef Marino Taiatini Eru Bennett-Paul |
| Past members | Christian Fautret Ricky Flavell Parai Parai |
History
In 2011, TV3 received NZ On Air funding to develop a comedy series titled J Geek vs the World, however this series was not produced.[2]
In 2012, the group entered New Zealand's Got Talent using the shortened name Jgeeks.[3] They won the public vote in their semi-final, and eventually finished in fourth place in the grand final.[4]
In September 2013, the group embarked on a 22-venue tour of New Zealand called the Eggs Factor tour. After playing their first eight shows, the tour was cancelled due to "circumstances outside of our control".[5]
The Cuzzies
The Cuzzies is a Metro-Maori electro craze group formed in 2011 and consists of the current members of JGeeks. They are best known for their 2011 single, "Ghost Chips".
Ghost Chips is a music video that parodies the anti-drink driving ad "Legend" that played on New Zealand television. Ghost Chips entered the NZ singles charts at number 11 in November. It received over 100,000 views in 4 days on YouTube. Former What Now presenter Tumehe Rongonui makes an appearance in it.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [6] |
NZ Albums | ||||||||||||
| Maoris vs. Music |
|
— | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [6] |
NZ Singles | ||||
| "Maori Boy" | 2010 | 33 | — | Non-album single | |
| "I'm a Taniwha" | 2011 | — | 7 | ||
| "Ghost Chips" | — | 11 | |||
| "The Best Day I Ever Had" | 2013 | 13 | 2 | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||
Other singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Show Me How To Geek" | 2009 | Non-album single |
| "Icky Sticky" | 2010 | |
| "I Love Hangi" | 2011 | |
| "Coz I Luv Ya" | 2012 | |
| "Down Down" (featuring Savage) |
2013 | |
| "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" | ||
| "Maoris Be Like" (featuring Incredabull) | ||
| "We Make the Beat Go" | ||
| "The Blazdidis" (featuring James Rolleston) |
2014 | |
| "Where You From" |
References
- "JGeeks". New Zealand's Got Talent. TVNZ. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- "Te Rautaki Māori: 2012 Review" (PDF). NZ On Air. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- "JGeeks". New Zealand's Got Talent. TVNZ. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- "JGeeks 'on a new kind of buzz'". The Nelson Mail. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- "'Talent' finalists cancel national tour". Rotorua Daily Post. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- "Discography JGeeks". charts.nz. Retrieved 26 April 2011.