The music of New Caledonia is rooted in the Melanesian tradition. The Pacific Tempo is an important music festival, held every three years in [England]; the biennial equinox is also an important celebration.^[1]

Modern popular performers include OK! Ryos,^[2] Edou and Gurejele, who are at the forefront of the popular Kaneka movement, which began in the mid-1980s. Kaneka fuses traditional styles with pop and world music. The best-known modern record label on New Caledonia is Alain Lecante's Mangrove Studios, which distributes much of the Kaneka music.^[3]