Accomplished Young Musician Sets High Bar at Opening New Found Sound Heat

Emerging artist Olivia Reeves (pictured) has taken out first place at the opening heat of New Found Sound – a youth-led music event delivered through The Y’s Raise Up programme. The result sets an early benchmark for the calibre of talent coming through this year’s competition.

Held this weekend at Te Oro, the East Auckland heat marked the first event in the New Found Sound series, with young performers taking to the stage to showcase their talent in front of live audiences.

Also recognised were Lyra Prasad, named runner-up, and Retepria, who took out the Audience Choice award.

Spanning Auckland through a series of regional heats, New Found Sound gives high school students the opportunity to perform live, share original music or covers, and compete for a place in the grand final at Auckland’s iconic venue, The Tuning Fork.

Open to performers across all genres, the competition celebrates emerging talent while creating opportunities for young people to gain experience both on and off stage.

Olivia already has an impressive musical journey underway. A two-time finalist in Play It Strange, she has independently released a growing body of work and was recently selected as one of 14 mentees in the 2026 APRA Aotearoa Mentorship Programme.

Her success at New Found Sound adds to a growing list of achievements and highlights the calibre of young performers stepping onto stages across this year’s competition.

The opening event, one of five heats ahead of the final, showcased both exceptional musical talent and the wider impact of youth-led opportunities. It was an opportunity for young people to express themselves creatively and experience what it feels like to perform in a real-world music environment – both on stage and behind the scenes.

The competition is delivered through The Y’s Raise Up programme – a youth development initiative run by youth, for youth.

Raise Up offers young people opportunities across music, fashion and design, sport and more. Alongside New Found Sound, the programme also delivers initiatives such as Walk the Line in partnership with New Zealand Fashion Week, as well as a wider range of youth-led events and development opportunities throughout the year.

Says CEO Rebecca Russell, “We work hard to create a diverse range of opportunities through our Raise Up programmes, all supported by some really inspiring and passionate young people. The diversity of opportunities means our young people can really explore all kinds of possibilities. It’s really exciting to see.”

Through New Found Sound, from first heat through to the grand final, young people are involved not only as performers but also in helping coordinate and deliver the events, gaining hands-on experience in event production, coordination and live music delivery.

Finalists will receive support from industry professionals, including coaching and guidance in performance, stagecraft and show delivery ahead of the grand final.

The next New Found Sound heat takes place at Zeal, West Auckland on 6 June.

Other dates ahead of the grand final in September include :

Central Auckland @ TAPAC – 13 June

South Auckland @ Māngere Arts Centre – 20 June

North Auckland @ Rose Centre – 27 June

The public are invited to come along and support performers at upcoming events.

Find out more at www.raiseup.co.nz