OnlyFromNZ
Paul Sinclair and Pam Sheyne
January 7, 2026
Los Angeles-based Kiwi, Pam Sheyne, is one of the most influential New Zealanders in global pop. She’s a multi-platinum songwriter & singer whose songs have sold more than fifty million records. Her credits include co-writing Christina Aguilera’s global number one hit, Genie in a Bottle, and she has over 100 platinum awards to her name.
Pam, who whakapapas to Ngāi Tahu, is a winner of an Ivor Novello Award – one of the highest international honours a songwriter can receive – and her songs have been recorded by artists ranging from Demi Lovato & Seal to Jessica Simpson, the Backstreet Boys, & Camila Cabello. As a singer, she’s performed with some extraordinary names – Elton John, Celine Dion, the Pet Shop Boys, Cyndi Lauper, Tom Jones, & Dave Stewart among them. Her work has also appeared in films and TV shows from The Princess Diaries & The Young Victoria to Camp Rock & Dance Your Ass Off.
In this pod, Pam talks to me about her early days in music, her successful collaborations with musicians and song-writers globally, and the impact on her career after co-writing Genie in a Bottle. We discuss the impact of streaming and AI on songwriters, and the advocacy work she has done as a founding member of Songwriters of North America (SONA). Lastly, we look at Pam’s side business – SongWriterCamps – where she and her business partner help educate independent songwriters, artists, & producers so they make money from their music. This includes an upcoming camp in Melbourne and Pam’s hopes to work with Kiwi songwriters a little closer to her homeland.
A huge thank you to Pam for taking time to talk to me. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations leading up to and including the pod and as we welcome 2026 it’s such a tonic celebrating a Kiwi creative flying so high.
For more details on Pam and SongWriterCamps, please go to:
