Céline Dion ‘siren battles’ are leaving New Zealand locals sleepless
Global News
The battles, which have been steadily growing in popularity, see music lovers rig their cars or bicycles with sirens and loudspeakers (often, as many as possible) to blast songs.
To most, Céline Dion‘s voice is lulling and enchanting, but for some locals in Porirua, New Zealand, the Quebecer’s music means sleepless nights.
Residents of the small city on the country’s North Island have complained they are being tormented by the “excessively loud music” coming from the region’s “siren battles.”
The battles, which have been steadily growing in popularity, see music lovers rig their cars or bicycles with sirens and loudspeakers (often, as many as possible) to blast songs. Competitors, or “siren kings” as they’re often called, fight to win prestige as the contestant with the loudest, clearest sound.
One siren king told the New Zealand magazine The Spinoff that Dion’s music is commonly used in siren battles because her songs are high treble, clear and do not use much bass. Reggae is also popular in siren battles.
The underground subculture first emerged in south Auckland among the area’s Pasifika population in the mid-2010s. Now, those outside of the siren-battling community in Porirua are calling for local authorities to put an end to the late-night escapades.
Porirua Mayor Anita Baker told the Guardian the city’s siren kings are terrorizing locals nightly with loud, unwelcome renditions of Dion’s songs, like My Heart Will Go On.
“We need to find somewhere alternative for these people to go or they need to stop,” Baker told the outlet. “It’s vibrating all over the city wherever they do it because we’re in a basin. It’s really frustrating.”