Singer songwriter Bic Runga has released her sixth studio album, Red Sunset, marking her first collection of new material in 15 years.

She will perform at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch on 29 March 2026 as part of her national tour.

Recorded in Paris during the winter of 2025, Red Sunset is her first album of original songs since 2011’s Belle.

The record was co produced by Runga and Kody Nielson and captures what she describes as a reflective chapter in her career.

“After such a long time between albums, I didn’t want to rush this one,” Runga said. “These songs came together slowly, in a very particular place and time, and that space really shaped how the record sounds and feels.”

The album is anchored by its title track Red Sunset, alongside previously released singles It’s Like Summertime and Paris in the Rain.

The latter was written on the final night of a winter stay in Paris, inspired by torrential rain falling over the Louvre, and recorded on an historic 1807 French Pleyel piano.

“There’s something about being away from home that sharpens your perspective,” Runga said. “Paris gave me the quiet and the contrast I needed to write honestly.”

Born in Christchurch to a Chinese Malaysian mother and a Māori father, Runga first emerged in the late 1990s with her debut album Drive, which went multi platinum and helped define a generation of New Zealand pop songwriting.

Albums including Beautiful Collision, Birds and Belle cemented her reputation for clarity and emotional precision.

“A lot has changed in my life since my last album,” she said. “But the core of why I make music hasn’t. Red Sunset feels like a continuation rather than a reinvention.”

Red Sunset was released digitally on Friday 13 February, with vinyl and CD editions available from 6 March.

Her 2026 tour will include Hamilton, Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, with tickets on sale now through Live Nation.