OMC (band)
Encyclopedia
OMC, or Otara Millionaires Club, was a music group from Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
best known for their 1996 hit "How Bizarre
How Bizarre (song)
"How Bizarre" is the debut single of New Zealand musical group OMC from their debut album of the same name. It was released as a single in New Zealand in 1995 and internationally in 1996....
", named one of the greatest New Zealand songs of all time by the Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
. The full name of the band is a tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
reference to Otara
Otara
Ōtara is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, situated 18 kilometres to the southeast of the Auckland CBD. Ōtara lies near the head of the Tāmaki River , which extends south towards the Manukau Harbour...
's status as one of the poorest suburbs of Auckland.
Origin (1993-1995)
The Otara Millionaires Club was originally formed in 1993 by Phil Fuemana, who was previously in the bands "Houseparty" and "Fuemana". Fuemana and his younger brother, Pauly FuemanaPauly Fuemana
Pauly Lawrence Fuemana was a New Zealand singer, songwriter and musician. Fuemana was the lead singer of the music duo, OMC , which was best known internationally for the 1995 hit, "How Bizarre"...
, recorded two tracks as the new band for producer Alan Jansson's Urban Pacifica collection Proud
Proud (compilation)
Proud: An Urban Pacific Streetsoul Compilation is a New Zealand Hip Hop compilation album released in New Zealand by Second Nature Records and in Australia by Violation Records and later rereleased in New Zealand by huh! Records in 2000...
.
Pauly
Pauly Fuemana
Pauly Lawrence Fuemana was a New Zealand singer, songwriter and musician. Fuemana was the lead singer of the music duo, OMC , which was best known internationally for the 1995 hit, "How Bizarre"...
suggested that they shorten the band's name to just the initials, and thereafter, he and Jansson were "OMC". Pauly became the public face of the band and its primary performer, serving as the frontman and playing several instruments during performances and tours. However, the music was created by both of them, with Jansson co-writing all of the tracks and handling most of the arrangement and production duties in the studio.
"How Bizarre" (1995-1997)
Signed to Simon GriggSimon Grigg
Simon Grigg is a New Zealand music businessman, writer, radio host, publisher, producer, DJ and archivist. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, he attended Palmerston North Boys High, Auckland Grammar and the University of Auckland.-Punk rock:...
's huh! label, OMC released the single "How Bizarre
How Bizarre (song)
"How Bizarre" is the debut single of New Zealand musical group OMC from their debut album of the same name. It was released as a single in New Zealand in 1995 and internationally in 1996....
" in New Zealand in late 1995. It was an immediate smash hit even without a video, reaching number one in early 1996 and staying there for three weeks. It sold over 35,000 copies, a figure still not exceeded in New Zealand. That same year, "How Bizarre" went to number one in Australia for five weeks, sold over 150,000 singles, and was certified as a platinum single. Later in the year the single went to number 5 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and number one in countries across Europe and much of the rest of the world.
Their debut album, also entitled How Bizarre followed later that year. Their third single, "On the Run", reached #56 on the UK in 1997. In 1997 and 1998, "How Bizarre" spent 36 weeks on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Hot 100 Airplay
Hot 100 Airplay
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard...
chart, peaking at #4. The song never charted on the regular Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
as it was not released as a commercially available single there. It also became a BMI-certified "million airplay" song two years in a row. The album went on to sell in excess of a million copies in the United States alone, as well as charting in many other countries. Between 1995 and 2000, OMC are estimated to have sold between three and four million records worldwide, and "How Bizarre" is the biggest selling record ever to be released by an act originating from and recorded in New Zealand.
Follow-up success (1997-2010)
"How Bizarre" was followed by the singles "Land of Plenty" which reached the top 5 in the New Zealand charts; "Right On" which achieved platinum-status in New Zealand; and "On The Run" which was a minor international hit in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. By 1998, Fuemana and Jansson had had a falling out over royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
, which ended up in court. After a settlement, it was agreed Fuemana could continue to use the duo's name as a solo artist.
In 2002, their song "How Bizarre" reached #71 on the 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders hosted by William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
.
Death of Pauly Fuemana
On 31 January 2010, following several years of declining health, Pauly Fuemana died at North Shore Hospital in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. He was 40 years old. "How Bizarre" briefly topped the charts again in New Zealand following news of his death.
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| How Bizarre |
|
5 | 35 | 40 |
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... : Gold |
Singles
- "How BizarreHow Bizarre (song)"How Bizarre" is the debut single of New Zealand musical group OMC from their debut album of the same name. It was released as a single in New Zealand in 1995 and internationally in 1996....
" (1995) #1 NZL, #1 AUS, #1 CANCanadian Singles ChartThe Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
, #1 IREIrish Singles ChartThe Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
, #1 AUT, #4 SWE, #4 SUI, #5 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, #11 NED, #11 NOR, #16 FRA; 3x Platinum (NZL), Platinum (AUSAustralian Recording Industry AssociationThe Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
) - "Land Of Plenty" (1996) #4 NZL
- "Right On" (1996) #11 NZL; Platinum (NZL)
- "On The Run" (1997) #30 NZL, #56 UK, #98 NED
- "4 All of Us" (featuring Lucy Lawless) (2007) (did not chart)