Crowded House announce new single ‘Oh Hi’ - Neil Finn reveals uplifting inspiration

The legendary Crowded House are back with a brand-new single.

The band, founded by Kiwi icon Neil Finn and Australians Paul Hester and Nick Seymour, are known for their hit songs Don’t Dream It’s Over and Weather With You - now they have a new tune and it has a special meaning behind it.

Titled Oh Hi, the three-minute-long song was produced by the band along with Steven Schram and aims to be a “friendly tune” dabbling in colourful spirals of guitar and a chorus worthy of repeat sing-alongs, but it’s the inspiration behind the hit that will tug on your heartstrings.

Fronted by Finn, the main man said in a statement that the single has a “deep connection” to So They Can - an international non-profit focused on building schools in remote parts of Kenya and Tanzania.

Finn confessed the inspiration for the single came from the children in the African countries, noting: “I was inspired by children and thinking how much we need to let them learn and grow in safety and love,”

He added: “Then we could learn from them. There are so many out of view that can be magnificent if only given a microphone and a lightbulb.”

The single is now available on music-streaming platforms.

The single announcement comes after the Kiwi music legend stunned attendees of a Sunday Auckland market last weekend, playing a surprise performance with former Split Enz counterpart Eddie Rayner.

Finn took to the stage at the Coatesville markets after requests from the organisers for him to perform.

Hundreds of people amassed to catch a glimpse of Finn, with a witness telling the Herald he played “all the bangers”.

“He was absolutely awesome. When people walked by and realised it was him they couldn’t believe it,” they said.

Crowded House has seen global success since their debut in 1986 with the release of their self-titled album. Featuring iconic smash hits Something So Strong and Don’t Dream It’s Over, the album went platinum and has since seen covers from multiple top-charting artists including Miley Cyrus, U2 and Ariana Grande.

In 1996, the band announced their hiatus following an unforgettable performance on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in which they played to 150,000 fans.

After nine years, the band regrouped following the passing of founding member Hester, and created two new albums, Time On Earth in 2007 and Intriguer in 2010 before being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

In 2020 the group returned with yet another Crowded House era, this time being joined by Mitchell From and Finn’s two sons Liam and Elroy Finn.

Together, the band released Dreamers Are Waiting the following year which won an ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.