Q97Hits

Playing hot hits and throwbacks! Tune in on 97.7FM Bay of Plenty, and 99.3FM Ohope. Q97 has a playlist of Top 40 hits and chart-topping favourites.

The frequency it is broadcasting on has huge reach, all over the Eastern Bay and also transmitting into Mount Maunganui. 97.7FM & 99.3FM

09/09/2026

From Dolly Parton to Tim Curry, we've lost some musical legends these past few painful weeks; but if one thing is true, they've touched people around the globe in every age category.

That made the Q97 team think, how much of your parent's musical taste have you adopted over the years? From knowing 9 to 5 off by heart, to knowing every move of Time Warp, we think your parents had something to do with it, putting that quirk in your music tastes.

Q97 - Even a few weeks removed, we're still feeling bummed 🫠

07/09/2026

Sometimes good music just clicks, and you love it; even if the artist's past might be spikey at best. But what about an artist that couldn't control their upbringing? 😵‍💫

Stella Lefty has rolled her way up to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her hit song 'Boston', but when you look at social media comments, 'nepo baby' pops up more often than not (for reference, her father is Eric Lefkosky, billionaire CEO of Groupon).

We all love an underdog, or someone like us, being propelled into fame organically, rather than buying their way to the top, but does the term 'nepo baby' drive you away from Stella's music, or is it just not a big deal?

Q97 — Never been to Boston 🤷

19/08/2026

While smashing two genres together is a tale as old as time, that doesn't mean that they stay relevant forever. That being said... Where did pop rock go?!

Avril Lavigne was one of the most recognisable female faces in music for a while in the 2000's, but with rock's general decline in popularity throughout that 00's, we can safely say Pop Rock went the way of the dinosaurs...But please, someone bring it back.

Q97 - Wishes they were a SK8ER 📣

17/08/2026

Well all love ourselves a conversation about what's hot, what's not; what's working, and what doesn't sound too great, but do you think some fans take scrutinising and critiquing musicians too far?

Cardi B is definitely in that camp, and how come complains don't motivate her, but the opposite, as stated on X (formerly Twitter):

“When y’all complain, it doesn’t make me want to sit down. No, it makes me want to say, ‘I ain’t doing s–t,’” she said. “How about that? That’s the type of person I am.”

Now, constructive criticism? That's always fine, but when its just complains scrutinising for the sake of it, that's when she draws the line. This quote was aimed at certain X users having issues with her release schedule, and how she promotes her music.

But what do you think? Do you think you should analyse every little detail and belittle an artists work, or do you think some fans just need to chill?

Q97 - Agreeing with Cardi B on this one 🤷‍♀️

12/08/2026

When something is popular, sometimes it might not click right away, but after a fews years go by, sometimes... Something falls into place and you start to love it 💥

While Hilary Duff was, and still is, a beloved part of early to mid 2000's music culture, it took a while for some people to get into the swing of her music, especially if you look *gasp* old internet music forums! 😱

Q97 - Loved Hilary Duff since the beginning 💘

10/08/2026

Loving an artist's music is one thing, but caring about what they do outside of music is a whole 'nother level of fandom.

Addision Rae is appearing in the hit video game Fortnite with a few of her tracks, and it had the Q97 team talking... Do you actually care when an artist jumps into video games, movies, or TV, or do you just not care?

Q97: Trying to figure out if we care too💅

05/08/2026

When a musician is around for AGES, but keeps releasing consistent bangers, do they ever turn into a throwback artist?

It's a bit weird to think about, and the Q97 team has had a few thoughts about it, and came to the conclusion that if an artist is not culturally relevant, and already has 10-15 years in the seat, and is seen as the 'old guard' of a previous generation, that's when it is safe to start referring to them as classic/throwback.

So for instance, Bruno Mars has released classic music, but he himself isn't a 'classic' artist, because he is still relevant culturally and releases music that is modern and charts. So when someone hears a song like 'Gr***de' that came out 16 years ago, and you say "This is a classic!", you're talking about the song, not Bruno himself.

Now that's a lot of asterixis and is a bit confusing, but what do you think? What defines a 'throwback/classic' musician to you?

Q97: Wondering where your invisible line is 🔍

03/08/2026

With concert season just kicking off, we can't blame you for having a Bucket List of venues you might want to tour before you... Kick... The bucket (bad joke, my bad).

What festivals do you need to go to? Zara Larsson put on an epic showing at Lollapalooza after Lil U*i Vert cancelled, which seemed to be a blessing for Larsson. If that kind of showing is on again, Lollapalooza would be climbing up our list!

Q97: Loving the tunes LIVE💃

29/07/2026

They were everywhere in the mid to late 90's and early 00's, but now they're as extinct as the dinosaurs. But where did they go?

Well, music isn't a stranger to big egos, and if you're not working as a cohesive unit, like in a full band, ego starts to creep in and cause problems. Or if you're the stand-out, the rest of the group might just fall apart (Thanks JT). And sound just changes as trends change; what's new gets old, and fades away for a while.

Q97: Waving Bye Bye Bye to boy and girl bands. 👋

26/07/2026

When you follow a musician online, are you following just for the updates or insight into how they live?

Some people think it's infringing on privacy, while other thrive off of learning about other people's lives; where do you fall?

Q97: For the tunes... And sometimes the goss 🫣

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267 The Strand
Whakatane
3120

Telephone

+6473089721

Website

http://www.q97.co.nz/

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