From Hendo to London: MOHI Meets the World
The West Auckland made artist introduces his truest sound yet on “Māori Kid Meets World”, arriving Friday 18 September during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.
For the first part of his career, award winning artist, MOHI, made the music he thought he was supposed to make. On Māori Kid Meets World, he steps beyond that polished image and introduces the person behind it: a funny, sharp-edged and fiercely ambitious Māori kid from Henderson with a rich, unmistakable voice.
The new 12-track album dives deeper into a process of reflection and self-discovery that began in earlier songs such as “Flowers in Hendo” from his prior album, “Flowers That Grow From Concrete Pavements”. Created primarily by MOHI and APRA Silver Scroll winning producer/songwriter, Noema Te Hau III, Māori Kid Meets World moves naturally between te reo Māori and English while exploring the experience of living across te ao Māori and a predominantly Pākehā world—the tensions, humour and contradictions of carrying both cultural realities at once.
Alternative R&B forms the album’s foundation, but its character comes from the tension between sweetness and bite. Its closest reference points are Dijon and Mk.gee, not as templates, but in their loose, performance-led approach and willingness to leave texture, movement and imperfection in the music. MOHI’s rich voice remains the centre of gravity, surrounded by expressive guitars, layered backing vocals and warm, unpredictable keys and synths. Savant, Leonardo Coghini contributes keys/synths throughout, while Jordyn with a Why, HOPE and Asha Maihi (Dreamer) add backing vocals. Recorded at BIG FAN, the album was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Te Hau, with support from NZ On Air Music and Te Māngai Pāho.
At its centre is “Dreamer,” a song about the moment ambition must become action. Lead single “Happy Snappa” turns that idea into a journey from Henderson to London, named after the iconically average fish-and-chip shop opposite Waitākere Hospital. Filled with specific West Auckland landmarks, humour and a refusal to make the dream smaller, the song captures the personality driving the wider album. As MOHI puts it, “cheap talk don’t make rent any cheaper.”
That ambition has already shaped an eventful 2026. MOHI performed music from the landmark Waiata Anthems album with the Auckland Philharmonia at Auckland Town Hall. His long-standing love of rugby also developed into a collaboration with the All Blacks, who contributed backing vocals to “Taniwha,” an anthem written by MOHI and Te Hau for the team’s Matariki celebrations.
The album’s release now intersects with a wider movement. Through the new 4 The Masses initiative, MOHI will join a kura tour connecting rangatahi with waiata and contemporary Māori artists. He then travels to London as part of Te Reo Māori is Global, recording at Abbey Road Studios with Jordyn with a Why, HOPE and Ngāti Rānana before presenting his album at a public showcase at Pacific Tavern.
For MOHI, London is more than a release destination. It marks the beginning of an international chapter and a larger ambition to carry his bilingual artistry beyond Aotearoa. His reo Māori writing is not a strategic addition to the music; it reflects how he speaks, thinks and creates. Māori Kid Meets World is modern Māori confidence in motion, grounded in Hendo and ready to travel.
MOHI says:“I spent the first part of my career making the music I thought I was meant to make. This album is me backing the person I truly am. If you have a dream, eventually you have to stop talking about it, shoot your shot and do the work.”