WHO'S NEXT: Seth Haapu

In the music video for his single 'Stereotype', an immaculately presented Seth Haapu navigates a hallway of doors, taking occasional pause to open one of them and enter a room - often encountering slightly surreal scenes such as an artificial limb fitted dominatrix and slave, a vampire and her victim and a clown painter.

Seth Haapu - Stereotype (Live on BalconyTV Auckland)

Reaching the end of the hallway, he arrives at a raging party. Soundtracked by Seth's unique soul/rock/pop aesthetic, aside from serving as a celebration of differences, 'Stereotype' serves as a perfect visual metaphor for the winding road to stardom, a road he is currently walking, with hopes of reaching the party at the end of the hallway. Posted up at a cafe on K Road in Auckland, Seth is quick to elaborate on his background and the chain of events that have led to his impending status as a support act on Crowded House's summer vineyard tour.

Raised in Wanganui by musician parents ("Mum sang and played the tambourine, but dad was a multi-instrumentalist"), who played in local covers bands, he got his start in a family band with his sister and brother, who in his words, "(used to play at) family events, just birthdays, funerals, that kind of thing".

Focussed on making a career in music, Seth kept honing his skills while the family bounced from Wanganui to Rotorua to Sydney, Australia and back to Wanganui. While in Australia, he started dialoguing with acclaimed talent scout Matty J Ruys. "I semi-stalked him on MySpace", Seth laughs. Meeting up with Matty in 2008, Seth won Matty's attention and took him on via his management company. He relocated to Auckland and ended up in Roundhead Studios with Godfrey De Grut, Chip Matthews and Nick Gaffaney for 28 days to record his debut record for release through Sony. As Seth puts it, "It was truly a highlight of my life".

Currently juggling music with completing a BA, while he loves writing and recording, for Seth the real thrill is in live performance. "It's like a rollercoaster ride”, he concludes. “I love it".

Listen at: www.myspace.com/sethhaapu

By Martyn Pepperell