WATCH: Tearful Dame Lynda Topp honours late sister Jools in powerful AMA speech

Dame Lynda Topp delivered an emotional speech at the Aotearoa Music Awards 2026, paying tribute to her late twin sister Jools, while also calling on the Government to better support Aotearoa artists.

Speaking on stage, Dame Lynda reflected on performing alongside Jools for more than 40 years and the heartbreak she’s continuing to navigate following her sister’s passing.

“I’ve cried for a whole week, and a year before that, and another year to come,” she told the crowd.

Dame Jools passed away aged 68 on May 23, after bravely living with breast cancer for 22 years.

In her speech, Lynda opened up about the special bond they shared while performing together as The Topp Twins.

“Being a twin is such a beautiful thing to be,” she said, before joking: “Not once in those 40 years did we ever rehearse.”

She then used the moment to highlight the struggles many Kiwi artists are facing, saying Aotearoa has lost a huge number of the small venues that give musicians a chance to build their careers.

“Back then, there were hundreds of venues in this country. We played in cafes, pubs, rural halls, wool sheds, house parties… And now we’ve lost so many of those places for young artists to perform in.”

With the Government’s Budget announced this week, and $1.6 billion being put towards defence, Dame Lynda said she strongly believes more investment is needed to support the arts.

“We need support for artists in this country. We need a government that says the arts are more important than a defence budget,” she said.

She added that many young musicians are now spending more time chasing funding than actually making and playing music.

“I see young artists struggling, not because they’ve got a gig on Friday night, but because they’re trying to fill out some crazy arts funding submission just to get a few lousy dollars from the government. It’s not fair.”

We are not defined by a government. We are not defined by politicians. We are defined by people, our culture and our art.

One of the biggest reactions from the crowd came when Lynda joked about what a defence force made up of artists could look like.

“If you gave that [money]  to the arts… You put Alien Weaponry up the front, Dick Move beside them, Troy Kingi on a horse behind them, and I’ll be standing at the top of the hill,” she said.

Nobody’s getting through us, baby. Nobody.

Elsewhere in her speech, Dame Lynda thanked everyone for the love and support she has received following Jools’ passing.

“Right now, it feels like the whole country is grieving for my beautiful twin sister,” Dame Lynda added.

“I thank Aotearoa for that beautiful support that we have.”

“Maybe governments and future governments can take a leaf out of our book, because if you give back, you get back 110%,” she said.

“So tonight, in honour of my beautiful twin sister, who I will never, ever stop missing - be strong. Never give up. Play your instrument loud and sing at the top of your lungs.”

And remember - music makes us human.