Ivy Lies: The Rise of New Zealand's All-Female Rock Band
Ivy Lies is one of New Zealand's most compelling rock success stories, built on years of dedication, reinvention, and an unmistakable musical chemistry between three lifelong friends. The band's journey began long before they settled on their now-familiar name, rooted in the tight-knit community of Christchurch where Emla Palmer, Lisa Blatchford, and Rosie O'Connell first found their shared passion for music at just fourteen years old.
Starting out under the name Starlett in 2001, the trio spent their formative years honing their craft in local bars and venues, gradually building a reputation that extended well beyond their hometown. Their big breakthrough came through the prestigious RockQuest competition, a performance that caught the attention of industry insiders and ultimately secured them a record deal with Sony BMG. During this early chapter, the band released two notable singles — What I Had, which shot straight into the Top 5 on New Zealand radio, and Let It Go, which climbed to number 15 on the charts.
In 2008, the band made a pivotal decision to relocate to Auckland, where they connected with guitarist Mihka Chee and rebranded themselves as Ivy Lies. This reinvention signalled a bolder, more polished direction for the group, blending alternative rock energy with accessible pop hooks that would come to define their sound. The following year, they travelled to Los Angeles to record their debut album with acclaimed producer Clif Magness, a partnership that would elevate their music to an entirely new level.
The fruit of those recording sessions arrived in December 2009 with the release of their infectious single Addicted, which climbed to number 8 on the RIANZ New Zealand charts and simultaneously topped both the artist and video charts on Myspace Music for that month. The song became the defining anthem of their early career, showcasing the band's ability to craft radio-ready rock with genuine emotional depth and energy.
Riding the momentum of Addicted, Ivy Lies kept their profile growing throughout 2010. They joined the high-profile Coca-Cola Bands on the Beach tour in January, performing open-air concerts across New Zealand alongside established acts. They also appeared at The Edge's Sausage Fest 2010, sharing the stage with prominent New Zealand artists including Midnight Youth, Dane Rumble, and David Dallas. The band further cemented their credentials by supporting international rock act You Me at Six during their Auckland concert in September 2010.
Their subsequent singles, Never Enough and I Lie Awake, continued to showcase the band's evolving sound, with both receiving significant airplay and music video premieres on New Zealand's C4 music channel. Following the departure of Mihka Chee in early 2011, the band pressed forward as a trio, releasing their fourth single Highway in February of that year before unveiling their long-awaited debut album Little Mind Games on 28 February 2011.
Little Mind Games represented the culmination of years of hard work and artistic growth, capturing the spirit of a band that had grown from teenage beginners into confident, accomplished musicians. Signed to Warner and armed with a catalogue of memorable rock songs, Ivy Lies had firmly established themselves as a significant voice in New Zealand's alternative rock landscape, inspiring a generation of young female musicians to pick up instruments and chase their own dreams.