My heart won't go on: New Zealand town fed up with Celine Dion "speaker battles"

Oct 24 2023, 10:18 pm

A New Zealand town is fed up with fellow residents blasting Celine Dion songs late into the night.

Drivers in Porirua have been taking part in “siren battles,” equipping their cars with loudspeakers to blast the Canadian songstress’s top hits.

But locals in the town are fed up after having to hear Dion’s ballads at maximum volume.

They’ve now teamed up to start a petition, calling on City Council to put an end to the siren battles.

“Enough is enough. Porirua City Council must act and stop the gathering of car meets blasting music and emergency siren noises at all hours of the night,” reads the petition.

Siren Battles aren’t unique to Porirua. According to New Zealand pop culture publication The Spinoff, the siren battles are part of a unique subculture in the country.

Cars come equipped with multiple speakers that blast music, often throughout the night, much to the discontent of residents.

Dion’s songs — specifically her 1997 hit “My Heart Will Go On” — are popular choices for the battles for the “high treble content of her music,” states The Spinoff.

Porirua residents’ petition has gained just over 230 signatures of its 500 signature goal.

“Sleep is a basic human right. If the Porirua City Council members don’t get it, they should be shown the door,” wrote one signatory in the comments.

“I’m sick of the disturbing of the peace that sometimes goes on for hours. Although I enjoy Celine Dion in the comfort of my lounge and at my volume, I do not enjoy hearing fragments of it stopping and starting at any time between 7 pm and 2 am,” wrote another commenter.

According to a report from RNZ, even Porirua Mayor Anita Baker is fed up with the nose, telling the publication that she was “sick to death” of hearing the sirens belt out tunes late into the night.

 

 

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