More than 25 years after forever changing the face of music with the creation of its groundbreaking Grammy and Emmy award-winning Unplugged franchise, MTV today announce that Unplugged is making its way to New Zealand, for the very first time, for one unfiltered and unforgettable evening with MAALA on July 12. The performance, MTV Unplugged: MAALA will premiere on Sunday August 6 at 8.30pm on MTV (SKY Channel 015) & MTV Music (SKY Channel 022).

The Unplugged stage serving as the perfect platform for MAALA to showcase a more intimate side and show fans what inspires and ignites his music.

Over the past two years, MAALA aka Evan Sinton has risen from a little known Kiwi enigma to garnering near instant acclaim on the world stage.  His first single 'Touch' reached #2 on the Alternative Airplay charts and accumulating over 2.7 million streams on Spotify. From there he released his 2015 MAALA EP, which reached top 5 on the iTunes charts, #3 NZ top 40 and has accumulated over five million streams to date as well as a sold out EP release show. All this from a guy of just 22.

“The Unplugged stage has been home to some of the most iconic live performances of all time. We’re very excited to have the chance to bring one of the most the world’s most iconic music shows to New Zealand with the help of MAALA,” said Simon Bates, Vice President, Head of MTV Asia Pacific.

“MTV helped break MAALA onto the scene in 2016 via MTV Brand New. He then went on to play at MTV Beats & Eats and will now perform at MTV’s first New Zealand Unplugged. MTV is proud to support and nurture emerging New Zealand artists giving them the opportunity to break through onto the international music stage.” 

Since its debut in 1989, Unplugged has been a cultural watershed of musical moments, featuring unforgettable performances from artists including: Nirvana, Jay-Z, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Adele and Florence + The Machine.