Dame Lynda Topp delivered an emotional speech at the Aotearoa Music Awards 2026, paying tribute to her late twin sister Jools, while also calling on the Government to better support Aotearoa artists.<\/p>\n
Speaking on stage, Dame Lynda reflected on performing alongside Jools for more than 40 years and the heartbreak she\u2019s continuing to navigate following her sister\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve cried for a whole week, and a year before that, and another year to come,\u201d she told the crowd.<\/p>\n
Dame Jools passed away aged 68<\/a> on May 23, after bravely living with breast cancer for 22 years.<\/p>\n In her speech, Lynda opened up about the special bond they shared while performing together as The Topp Twins.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a twin is such a beautiful thing to be,\u201d she said, before joking: \u201cNot once in those 40 years did we ever rehearse.\u201d<\/p>\n She then used the moment to highlight the struggles many Kiwi artists are facing, saying Aotearoa has lost a huge number of the small venues that give musicians a chance to build their careers.<\/p>\n \u201cBack then, there were hundreds of venues in this country. We played in cafes, pubs, rural halls, wool sheds, house parties\u2026 And now we\u2019ve lost so many of those places for young artists to perform in.\u201d<\/p>\n With the Government\u2019s Budget<\/a> announced this week, and $1.6 billion<\/a> being put towards defence, Dame Lynda said she strongly believes more investment is needed to support the arts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need support for artists in this country. We need a government that says the arts are more important than a defence budget,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She added that many young musicians are now spending more time chasing funding than actually making and playing music.<\/p>\n \u201cI see young artists struggling, not because they\u2019ve got a gig on Friday night, but because they\u2019re trying to fill out some crazy arts funding submission just to get a few lousy dollars from the government. It\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n We are not defined by a government. We are not defined by politicians. We are defined by people, our culture and our art.<\/p>\n One of the biggest reactions from the crowd came when Lynda joked about what a defence force made up of artists could look like.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you gave that [money]\u00a0 to the arts\u2026 You put Alien Weaponry up the front, Dick Move beside them, Troy Kingi on a horse behind them, and I\u2019ll be standing at the top of the hill,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Nobody\u2019s getting through us, baby. Nobody.<\/p>\n