Local band Zaire are heading to Auckland today to compete in the Battle of the Bands national final.
After being together for three months, having band members come and go, this outcome did not look likely. The band's drummer left a couple of days before the Battle of the Bands heat in Hawke's Bay, yet they still managed to pull through and win.
The group had to replace the drummer quickly and get him to adapt to the right tempo. "We had our doubts, but got through it, so all went well," said band guitarist, Sunday Tonihi.
Zaire members have been counting down the days before they perform tonight at the Juice Bar in Parnell for the national final.
Band members Mr Tonihi and Preston Reid believe this opportunity is a different and new experience. "It allows us to see the big picture and incorporates professionalism and tightness."
The music the band produce is a wide variety being described by Mr Tonihi as a "fusion of R&B, pop, funk and soft rock".
Zaire Courtney is the lead singer and songwriter and says her songs are about a range of things. Some of the songs they are performing in the final are about "dance, love and addiction".
The band feel confident going into the competition and have the ultimate goal of winning the opportunity to record a song in an Auckland studio. The song gets sent to 250,000 radio stations around the globe.
Bands like Opshop and Blindspott have won this competition and received great publicity from the opportunity. They became internationally-recognised artists.
Zaire's plans for the future depend on the outcome tonight, as if they win this recording deal they will become more "band-focused".
If they do not win they will continue to play together and carry on working on an album which they hope to release by February.
The competition looks to be extremely competitive with 33 bands playing over two nights. Each band gets a 20-minute slot, which is "enough to make an impression", said Mr Reid.
"We will be judged from the moment we sign in ..."
The winner will be announced tonight. Zaire have support from friends in Hawke's Bay, as well as a fan base of family and friends in Auckland who will be attending the event.
They need as much support as possible and the competition has released a text vote. By texting Zaire to 5405 you are helping the band get closer to winning the title.
Texts cost 50 cents and count for 10 per cent of the vote.