‘I’ve Always Been a Reluctant Leader’: Ché Fu Discusses 25 Years of ‘Navigator’ and More

This October, Ché Fu is celebrating 25 years of ‘Navigator’ with a 10-date national theatre tour

Selected Works is a weekly (usually) newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell, aka Yours Truly. Most weeks, Selected Works consists of a recap of what I’ve been doing lately, along with some of what I’ve been listening to and reading, paired with film photographs I’ve taken, plus some bonuses. All of that said, sometimes it takes completely different forms.

Despite what you might think, Ché Fu never saw himself as a leader. However, in the wake of the success of his debut solo album 2b S.Pacific in 1998, the celebrated Māori Niuean singer-songwriter, producer, and DJ realised he would have to become one if he wanted to fully realise the music that lived inside his head. The process that followed was hard work, but it paid off.

When he released his second album, Navigator, in 2001, Ché completely reset the benchmarks of success for local hip-hop, R&B, and reggae with a set of songs that caught the spirit of the times.

From the silky-smooth neo-soul of “Misty Frequencies” to the singalong electro-reggae shuffle of “Fade Away” and the post-Neptunes bop of “Random”, the album became a defining summer soundtrack from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland to Ōtepoti Dunedin.

Two and a half decades later, Navigator’s guiding stars — identity and resilience, unity and hope — remain as relevant as ever. And as the moons have come and gone, and the accolades and influence have piled up, he has been indelibly etched into our musical history books as one of Aotearoa’s most influential voices.

Today, Ché can feel like a myth, but he walks amongst us as well. In his heart, he’s still the five-year-old boy who watched Bob Marley perform from the side of the stage in Western Springs Stadium. Nevertheless, he’s grown into a man with countless stories to tell. Who else in New Zealand music can recall Chris Knox helping him set up a microphone as a teenager and recording a guest verse for a Wu-Tang Clan remix?

This October, Ché Fu is celebrating 25 years of Navigator with a 10-date national theatre tour. ‘An Evening with Che Fu & The Kratez’ will see the legendary artist perform Navigator, alongside a career-spanning selection of favourites, joined by his unbeatable live band The Kratez and three special guests, Aaradhna, Betty-Anne, and King Kapisi.

Last week, I spoke with him by video call for Rolling Stone AU/NZ. Over a wide-ranging conversation, Ché reflected on the road to Navigator, his landmark album’s ongoing impact, and everything that has happened in between. You can read the full story here.

95bFM: AudioCulture w/ Martyn Pepperell: July 14th, 2026

On last week’s edition of Audio Culture, I joined Big J to talk about New Zealand Jazz in the year 2025, aka Modern Jazz. And a 1, 2, 3, 4.... Listen here.

What I’ve Been Listening To:

In my books, Tricky has always been a post-punk/dream-pop artist dressed in trip-hop garments. If you can relate, I figure you’ll like his new album.

Retrofuturistic Indonesian city pop from the brilliant minds of Aradea Barandana and Adinda Dwimadasari.

Mouthfull Radio co-founder Jackson Gittings turns in his debut album under his hellovera alias, The Tiny House. Here’s a blurb Violet Hirst wrote about it: This ambient collection of ticks, water-like textures, and soil is a recount of 18 months spent living on the whenua of Tapu te Ranga Trust in Island Bay, Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

FIN.