May 2020 · NZ #1
In the air
L.A.B.
March 2020. New Zealand goes into its first lockdown. Borders close, schools shut, the country retreats indoors... and one song starts playing everywhere.
"In the Air" had been quietly climbing the charts since January, ten weeks of slow, organic growth with no major label push behind it. When it hit #1 in March 2020, it became the first NZ act to top the charts since Lorde's "Green Light" in 2017, and the first independent NZ single to do so since Flight of the Conchords in 2012. The timing was ideal - a warm, unhurried reggae-pop track arriving precisely when the country needed something to settle into.
The song was recorded at a home studio in Wellington, built around smooth guitars and guest vocals from Lisa Tomlins. It was written by Brad Kora, who provided the lyrics. The band had spent five years and three albums building their following through relentless touring. When the country finally stopped moving, it found the music L.A.B. had already made.
By the end of 2020 it was New Zealand's best-performing single of the year. The record books were just getting started.
How we choose the #1
Each entry represents the song with the most weeks at number one on the New Zealand charts during that calendar month. Where two songs share the same number of weeks, we apply a tiebreaker based on peak chart position, then chart run longevity.
Entries marked as inferred indicate months where primary RIANZ/RMNZ chart data is unavailable. These are reconstructed from contemporary music press, radio playlists, and secondary archival sources, and are clearly labelled.
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