Anne Crummer (born 1966) is a New Zealand pop singer and songwriter of

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

descent who has seen success in both a solo career and as part of various musical groups.

Biography

Crummer grew up in West Auckland. Her father,

Will Crummer Will Crummer is a Cook Islands singer and entertainer who was well known in the 1960s in both Auckland, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands. He released EPs and albums during the 1960s, and along with Pepe and the Rarotongans, was a pioneering Coo ...

, a

Cook Islander Cook Islanders are residents of the Cook Islands, which is composed of 15 islands and atolls in Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Cook Islands Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of the Cook Islands, although more Cook Islands Māori cur ...

, was one of her strongest musical influences. Her mother Tangi is Tahitian. Crummer was a precocious singer, performing at Cook Island nightclubs and shopping mall talent quests. At the age of 9, Will Crummer tried to interest her in piano lessons and took her to singing coach

Sister Mary Leo Dame Sister Mary Leo Niccol (3 April 18955 May 1989) was a New Zealand religious sister who is best known for training some of the world's finest sopranos, including Dames Malvina Major, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Heather Begg. She was born as Kathl ...

, but Crummer preferred to learn from her father. She attended Avondale High School, leaving at the age of "15 years and two months" to focus on a singing career. She appeared on the TV talent show ''Opportunity Knocks'', won, and released her first single at the age of 16. At the age of 18 Crummer stood out as a guest vocalist in the

Netherworld Dancing Toys Netherworld Dancing Toys was a New Zealand band from Dunedin formed in 1982. In 1985, their single "For Today" reached number 3 in the New Zealand singles chart. History The group formed at the University of Otago. The band members included Ma ...

hit song "For Today", which was Single of the Year at the 1985

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

. She was one of the five founders of the all-female band When The Cat's Away in 1986; their cover of the 1969

Blue Mink Blue Mink were a British six-piece pop group that existed from 1969 to 1977. Over that period they had six Top 20 hit singles in the UK Singles Chart, and released five studio based albums. According to AllMusic: "they have been immortalised on ...

song " Melting Pot" topped the charts in New Zealand, and the band won Group of the Year in the 1989 New Zealand Music Awards. Crummer has also performed with Herbs. Crummer released her first solo album, ''

Language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

'', in 1992, and her second, '' Seventh Wave'' (co-written with Barbara Griffen) in 1996. ''Seventh Wave'' was completed at Prince's studio, Paisley Park. She recorded the

Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built ...

song "

I Hope I Never "I Hope I Never" is a 1980 song by New Zealand art rock group Split Enz. It was released in May 1980 as the second single from their sixth studio album '' True Colours''. Track listings Australian release ;Side A #"I Hope I Never" - 3:56 (Tim Fin ...

" as part of the

ENZSO ENZSO was an orchestral project started by former Split Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner. It combines the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with contemporary pop singers to perform Split Enz songs. History The project began with Eddie Rayner. He want ...

project in 1996. In 1993 she had a role on New Zealand soap opera ''

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...

'' and recorded a single "Keeping Up The Love Thing", which featured on the show. She has performed with Australian singers John Farnham and

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon "Jimmy" Barnes (née Swan; born 28 April 1956) is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best- ...

, and toured Australia for a month with Sting, singing on stage with him on "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot". In 1996, she was chosen as the supporting act for Michael Jackson's New Zealand tour. Crummer was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult and says she cannot read or write or read music, but she credits her dyslexia with giving her a heightened sense of musical appreciation. She did one semester of

Cook Islands Māori Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to New Zealand Māori, but is a distinct language in its own right. Cook Islands Māori is simply c ...

language at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

in 2000. Part of her work in the music industry has been mentoring in song writing and performing, including in prisons and for Smokefree Rock Quest. In 2014 she was a musical mentor for prisoners in the

Māori TV Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

series ''Songs from the Inside''. On stage, she was a soloist in the musical ''Rent'' in Australia and New Zealand, and played the Killer Queen in ''We Will Rock You'' (WWRY) in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 2005. The Australian production of WWRY toured throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and South Africa. Crummer reprised her role in 2019. She is currently working on her third album, ''Project Annie C''.

Honours and awards

Crummer was awarded Best Female Artist at the

in 1993, and nominated for the same category at the ARIA Music Awards in Australia in 1996. In 2011 Crummer was awarded ''Senior Pacific Artist Award'' at the

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

Arts Pasifika Awards The Arts Pasifika Awards celebrate excellence in Pacific arts in New Zealand. The annual awards are administered by Creative New Zealand and are the only national awards for Pasifika artists across all artforms. The Arts Pasifika Awards includ ...

. In the same year she also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the

Pacific Music Awards The Pacific Music Awards are an annual New Zealand music award ceremony since 2005 that honours excellence in Pacific music in New Zealand. The awards honour musicians who primarily work in the Pacific Island style of music from the Cook Islands, ...

. Crummer was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

for services to music in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours. In December 2021 Crummer and the other four members of When the Cats Away were inducted into the

New Zealand Music Hall of Fame The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame , Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to noteworthy New Zealand musicians. The hall was created in 2007 by Recorded Music NZ (then known as the Recording Industry Associati ...

at the

Aotearoa Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant tha ...

in recognition of their contributions to New Zealand music.

Discography

Compilation appearances

The following albums have featured tracks by Crummer. * (1996) – ''

In The Neighbourhood "In the Neighbourhood" is the 1994 debut single by the New Zealand hip hop duo Sisters Underground. The song peaked at #6 in the New Zealand singles charts and is now regarded as a landmark single both in the emerging South Auckland music scene ...

'' (

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

) – ''Language'' * (1998) – '' New Zealand Compositions'' ( Centre For New Zealand Music) – ''I Hope I Never'' (with

) * (2011) – ''Shoebox Lovesongs: the Rarotongan Music of

'' (

Ode Records Ode Records (also known as Ode Sounds and Visuals) was an American record label, started by Lou Adler in 1967 after he sold Dunhill Records to ABC Records. It was distributed by CBS's Epic Records except between 1970 and 1976, when the label was ...

)

Singles as main artist

Singles as featured artist

Notes

References

External links

*
Annie Crummer (Killer Queen) – Brian May
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crummer, Annie 1966 births Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand people of Cook Island descent New Zealand people of French Polynesian descent 21st-century New Zealand women singers New Zealand women songwriters Musicians from Auckland Living people 20th-century New Zealand women singers Māori-language singers