INTRODUCING THEIA’S PHENOMENAL DEBUT ALBUM GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD
Theia’s career-defining debut album GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD is out today! The award-winning NZ-born, LA-based singer and songwriter has also announced an album release show at Whammy in Tāmaki Makaurau on Friday, February 27. Tickets are on sale now!
Her most powerful work yet – the phenomenal 10-track GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD blends Theia’s trademark ethereal vocals and haunting harmonies with Māori instrumentation and contemporary soundscapes to create a unique sound that defies categorisation.
A fierce proponent for the revitalisation of Māori language and culture, GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD sees Theia (Waikato, Ngaati Tiipaa, Ngaati Aaamaru) imparting poignant and timely messages of hope, resilience and above all, tino rangatiratanga!
The album features the singles ‘BALDH3AD!’ (a finalist for ‘Single of the Year’ at the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards); ‘Hoki Whenua Mai (Return The Land)’; ‘Pray 4 Me’; ‘Patupaiarehe’; ‘My Sister’s Hands In Mine’ featuring US avant-folk luminary Jolie Holland and the new single - the blistering female empowerment anthem, ‘HINE-NUI-TE-PŌ’.
“Hine-Nui-Te-Pō is our eternal mother and kaitiaki of death and Rarohenga - the underworld. She is the embodiment and example of our traditional worldview that women are the givers, and the takers of life,” explains Theia, who co-produced the album with Abraham Kunin (Dalai Lama, Home Brew, TE KAAHU).
“I wanted to expose the demonization she has been faced with by the unrelenting male gaze painting her as a malevolent goddess of sex and punishment. As the missionaries removed penises from our carvings, the feminine power of our eternal mother has been erased too by colonial misogyny. Pitting Māui as the hero and Hine-Nui-Te-Pō as the villainous witch. It is on us to educate about her story - I wanted to exalt her power in this waiata.”
Those who have followed Theia’s journey in music, including the success of her award-winning alt-folk project TE KAAHU, will already know the beauty of her voice and the depth and strength of her songwriting. And GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD is no exception! The enigmatic singer and songwriter turns stories passed down through generations into powerful songs of resistance and heart-breaking ballads. There is no question that the songs are challenging, but they carry important messages, which are resonating with people around the globe.
“With every release Theia reaffirms her place as one of the most innovative indigenous artists on the global stage - unafraid to use her voice, her culture and her artistry to ignite change”
- Native Max Magazine
“These waiata recall historic happenings, like the Tohunga Suppression Act; the loss of our native tongue through the missionary school system and the raupatu of the Waikato Wars,” says Theia.
“Through music, I hope to provide crucial resources for the betterment of my hapū and fellow rangatahi, alongside our Indigenous relatives overseas. I believe there is such strength in being able to look back on the past to inform our future and healing.”
Theia and her band will be performing songs from GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD at Flying Out in Auckland on Saturday, November 8 at 2pm. She will also be presenting the album in its entirety, with a full band, at her Whammy show in Tāmaki on Friday, February 27, 2026. Stay tuned for more NZ tour dates soon to be announced!
Theia Bio
There is an undeniable strength that runs through all that Theia does. The Ōtautahi-born artist (Ngaati Tiipaa, Ngaati Aamaru, Te Ahiwaru) is at the forefront of a new generation of young Māori creatives determined to smash through the glass ceiling. The fiercely independent singer, songwriter and storyteller effortlessly straddles the two worlds of her avant-garde namesake and her award-winning reo rangatira project, TE KAAHU. Both music projects reflect Theia’s artistry and demonstrate a powerful and poetic beauty, set to different sonic landscapes.
Theia emerged on the scene in 2016 with her breakthrough electro-pop hit ‘Roam’ – one of the most played locally-made songs on New Zealand commercial radio that year. The song also received radio play in Australia and Asia and has been streamed more than 16 million times across DSPs. Her debut EP (released by Warner Music) followed and earned Theia three nominations at the 2017 Vodafone NZ Music Awards, including ‘Pop Artist Of The Year’, ‘Single Of The Year’ and ‘Peoples’ Choice Award’.
In 2018, Theia released the NOT YOUR PRINCESS EP featuring ‘Bye Bye’ co-written with the legendary Mike Elizondo (Dr Dre, Eminem, Mary J Blige) and ‘Bad Idea’ co-written with Grammy-winning Emily Warren (Dua Lipa, The Chainsmokers).
Parting ways with her label, Theia released her first independent body of work - the 99% ANGEL mixtape – in 2020. It saw her experimenting with edgier alt-pop and hard-hitting lyricism and received critical acclaim from the likes of Billboard Magazine, which declared: “Theia is one of the most exciting voices to emerge from NZ in the last five years.”
Theia began writing songs in her native tongue, te reo Maori, while in lockdown. It led to her launching the award-winning alt-folk project TE KAAHU, which occupies its own space on streaming platforms. The project’s debut album TE KAAHU O RANGI (2022) drew global attention and was awarded the prestigious Taite Prize: Best Independent Debut.
Other notable accolades include a Grammy consideration for Alternative Album of the Year and nominations in the Rolling Stone NZ Awards (2022 and 2023), the Aotearoa Music Awards (2023), the APRA Maioha Award (2023), the Waiata Māori Music Awards (2023) and the Student Radio Network Awards (2023, 2025).
A mesmerising performer, Theia has played at many of Aotearoa’s largest festivals and has toured extensively across Australasia, Canada and the USA. Recent live highlights include WOMAD (NZ), Splore (NZ), Women’s Freedom Festival (LA), Block Heater (Calgary), SheFest (San Diego), Missoula Pride, Sum of Us (California), Pioneer Fest (Seattle), Belltown Bloom (Seattle) and Westside Culture Fest (Utah). She has opened for Peaches, Sia, Charli XCX, Mika, Los Bitchos and Portugal. The Man.
Theia has also taken TE KAAHU on the road, touring throughout New Zealand as well as North America. Live highlights include WOMAD (NZ), CubaDupa (NZ), Auckland Folk Festival (NZ), Hamilton Arts Festival (NZ), The Others Way (NZ), Camp A Low Hum (NZ), Big Sound (Brisbane), Calgary Folk Music Festival, Folk on the Rocks (Yellowknife), Lightning In A Bottle (California), Folk Alliance (Montreal) and support slots for Canadian folk-soul artist Frazey Ford, NZ dream-pop queen Fazerdaze and NZ rock-funk legends Dimmer.
Theia released her highly anticipated debut solo album, GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD, on November 7. The 10-track record, which she co-produced with Abraham Kunin, is a glorious fusion of alternative music with ethereal folk, Indigenous soul, alt-pop and art rock influences. It includes her politically charged anthems, ‘Patupaiarehe’, ‘Hoki Whenua Mai (Return The Land)’ and ‘BALDH3AD!’ - a finalist for ‘Single of the Year’ at the Aotearoa Music Awards (2025).
Theia has a Bachelor of Arts Degree double majoring in Te Reo Rangatira and Māori & Indigenous Studies from the University of Canterbury and is preparing to undertake her MA in Indigenous Studies at the University of Auckland. In 2024, was Mātairangi Mahi Toi – Artist In Residence at Massey University in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) and she is the newly announced Ambassador for Oceania in the Indigenous Youth Storyteller’s Circle - established in 2019 as an official project of the UN year of Indigenous languages.
The celebrated songwriter has twice been a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Her Theia catalogue includes several collabs - the powerful bilingual waiata ‘CREEP’ with Vayne and the haunting ballad ‘My Sister’s Hands In Mine’ featuring US folk legend Jolie Holland. Meanwhile, TE KAAHU has collaborated with Australian-based ARIA-nominated Māori artist Jen Cloher on ‘He Toka-Tu-Moana’ and also with NZ troubadour Delaney Davidson on ‘I Ngooku Moemoeaa’.
An artist of integrity and exceptional talent, Theia’s ability to use music as a vehicle for social change and advocate for ‘tino rangatiratanga’ makes her a force to be reckoned with.