Six60 Member Quits Band

New Zealand pop-rock outfit Six60 have detailed a devastating lineup change, with founding member and drummer Eli Paewai announcing his departure.

Sharing the announcement on social media yesterday, Paewai wrote in a statement, “Being a founding member of Six60 has been one of the most fulfilling things in my life. That is why it is so difficult to announce that I will be retiring from my role as Six60’s drummer.”

Mentioning that his “personal journey” with music is coming to a close, Paewai also revealed the final time he’d take to the stage with his bandmates.

The statement continued, “I am so grateful for my time on stage, the support of the fans, and especially for my time with the boys. While my personal journey with music is coming to an end, I will always be a member of Six60.

“I will be staying on as a member of the Six60 foundation to continue my passion of mentoring and coaching future generations. My final 2 shows will be in Melbourne on February 10th and at Electric Avenue in Christchurch on February 24th. Thank you.”

The Six60 Foundation, in partnership with the University of Otago, launched in 2022. The foundation offers four recipients with a passion for music a scholarship, including a $10,000 rent rebate, mentoring sessions from the band, and access to the University’s high-quality recording studios. You can find out more about the Six60 Foundation here.

Australia’s largest reggae music festival, Good Love, returned last year with an event headlined by Six60. In 2021, the band made chart history (again) when their self-titled second album became the longest-running album in the NZ Top 40. It spent over 330 weeks in the chart, overtaking Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon, which lasted 297 weeks. 

They also made the news in 2021 for performing to more than 50,000 people at the Auckland Rugby Stadium, the biggest live show to take place anywhere in the post-pandemic world at the time. 

When The Music’s Aneta Grulichova saw Six60 play live at the Astor Theatre years ago, Grulichova noted the “battle of the drums”, in which “bass guitarist Chris Mac joined Eli Paewai on the skins. The two took drumming to a whole new level; the crowd loved every beat.”