LOUIS BAKER releases waiata reo Māori single ‘Te Utu o Te Aroha’
Straight off the back of Louis Baker’s latest EP release Love Levitates comes the honey-toned singer songwriter’s first waiata in Te reo Māori - ‘Te Utu o Te Aroha’ – The Price of Love.
Straight off the back of Louis Baker’s latest EP release Love Levitates comes the honey-toned singer songwriter’s first waiata in Te reo Māori - ‘Te Utu o Te Aroha’ – The Price of Love.
An endless bright sky, golden sand, a crisp blue ocean and the rolling waves of Waimarama Beach set the backdrop for the creation of this transcendent soul-filled and heartfelt ballad.
‘Te Utu o Te Aroha’ speaks openly and honestly about the very human experience of loving without limits and draws on inspiration from a waiata that Sir Tīmoti Kāretu composed for the late Wiha Te Raki-Hawea, one of Māoridom’s beloved Reo Māori champions.
Written in both Te reo Māori and English, ‘Te Utu o Te Aroha’ came out of a collaboration from the first Reo Songhubs held in Waimarama at the end of 2020.
“Louis’ effortless flow between Te Reo and English sets an example for how a bi-lingual song
should be sung.” — Co-writer and Reo expert Hana Mereraiha
Produced by Te Whiti Warbrick aka SickDrumz who was the creative force behind recording superstar Rihanna’s mega-hit 'Needed Me’ and is a APRA AMCOS billion list member, the single marks his first New Zealand release since 2015.
On writing the song Baker (Ngā Puhi) says: “It’s hard to descibe how I feel about the song, but it really is the closest audible depiction of what the environment looked and felt like out of any song I’ve ever written. There was something beautiful in the room that day. Through the process of writing in Te reo, I have fallen in love with Te Ao Māori even more and in particular the majestic and poetic nature of Te reo itself”.
Louis Baker who has independently amassed over 26 million global Spotify streams was recently announced as a finalist in the Waiata Māori Music Awards for Best Māori RnB Album for Love Levitates alongside contemporaries Mara TK and Troy Kingi. He has earned a nomination for the APRA Silver Scrolls Top 20 and a Pacific Music Awards nod for his vocal feature and co-writing input on Auckland based Hip Hop act Team Dynamite’s song, ‘Dragon Fruit’.
Baker was due to head out on tour with Stan Walker as part of a heavyweight lineup including Kings, Hamo Dell and Crete for the ‘All In Tour’ which travels across Aotearoa this September but due to Covid this has been postponed to 2022. New dates to be announced.
Expect more waiata reo Māori from Louis later this year.
LOUIS BAKER ONLINE
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
THE BROKEN 'GRAVITAS'
THE BROKEN’S ‘GRAVITAS’ is a journey across ten cuts of thick analogue/digital electronica synthwave. It is an open and frank interpretation of the world surrounding THE BROKEN, exploring love, lies and that which lurks in the darkest emotional recesses of us all.
Planets form from the debris and particles within the space they inhabit. As they combine, their new gravity grows, pulling more matter around them into this new orbit. The same can be said for THE BROKEN.
Previously a three-piece band of Pearl Runga, Justin Maclaren and Simon Finnel, their music and focus on their sound pulled in Gavin Downie on guitar and Ben Phillips on drums. With this new line-up cemented in 2019, they undertook the rehearsing and writing of a new album, only to be stopped in their initial steps by New Zealand’s first Covid lockdown. However, the band was nimble and pivoted to set up home studios where they continued to write and record, eventually releasing what is the band's greatest work to date, ‘GRAVITAS’. All of this achieved from their individual isolated bubbles, unable to work together in the same room for months on end.
As New Zealand was plunged back into its third lockdown the album dropped unceremoniously and quietly at 10:30pm on a Friday night, without the possibility of a release party, concert, or even a listening party. THE BROKEN is now setting its sights on the next stage一getting out onto the live circuit in their home country of Aotearoa promoting the album and new line-up. First focussing on New Zealand, while looking to expand across the Tasman and the possibility of Australian dates.
THE BROKEN GRAVITAS ALBUM
“Trying to describe an album's inner thoughts or workings can be like attempting to explain shadows to the wind.”
THE BROKEN’S ‘GRAVITAS’ is a journey across ten cuts of thick analogue/digital electronica synthwave.
It is an open and frank interpretation of the world surrounding THE BROKEN, exploring love, lies and that which lurks in the darkest emotional recesses of us all. You could say it is the soundtrack to a film yet to be written, with nostalgic 80s electronica underscoring film noir imagery, and then clashing with cyberpunk aesthetics.
No great album is solely in a band’s hands alone一so legendary sound engineer Chris Tate was also pulled in to produce the album, while UK mastering icon Streaky gave the tracks their final polish.
AOTEAROA MUSIC INDUSTRY CALLS ON GOVERNMENT FOR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE
The music industry is seeking immediate assistance from government in the face of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
The music industry is seeking immediate assistance from government in the face of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
Since the start of the August lockdown, hundreds of live music events have been postponed or cancelled across the country, impacting artists, crew, workers and businesses in the live music sector.
While some businesses can open at Alert Level 2, larger music events are impossible, and smaller gigs are not economically viable, especially with the new Delta Alert Level 2 restrictions.
The music industry supports the government’s Covid response which enabled kiwis to enjoy a summer of live music in 2020/2021.
However, targeted financial assistance is urgently needed now to support artists and the infrastructure that enables live music, including crew, support staff, workers, production suppliers, venues and promoters. Music organisations have written to government requesting urgent targeted assistance including:
• extension of the wage subsidy to cover the live music sector at alert level 2 as well as higher alert levels, or an equivalent income support payment from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage Arts and Culture Covid Recovery Fund
• a contribution to charity MusicHelps to fund emergency relief grants to individual artists and support payments for music businesses and
• funding an extension of the NZ Music Venue Infrastructure Fund.
The organisations have also sought targeted support for the sector over the coming six months, by way of setting aside a fund for future needs, providing cancellation insurance for live events, review and reallocation of remaining funds in the MCH Arts and Culture Recovery Fund, further funding to continue the Aotearoa Touring Fund and music making via NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho, and expediting the commitment to support for creative careers similar to the previous PACE scheme.
For further information or media enquiries please contact:
Lydia Jenkin at APRA AMCOS on ljenkin@apra.co.nz or
Jo Oliver at Recorded Music NZ on jo@recordedmusic.co.nz
Wellington musicians celebrate New Zealand’s cultural diversity with a Trilingual song
Aotearoa chart-toppers, Tomorrow People, today release the powerful new trilingual single, ‘Rise Up’ - a track that asks listeners to unite and stand as one, embracing each other’s cultures. In these trying times where inclusion and diversity are paramount, it further affirms the message that we are all one people respecting each other’s cultures and we must band together – to stand as one.
Aotearoa chart-toppers, Tomorrow People, today release the powerful new trilingual single, ‘Rise Up’.
‘Rise Up’ is a track that asks listeners to unite and stand as one, embracing each other’s cultures. In these trying times where inclusion and diversity are paramount, it further affirms the message that we are all one people respecting each other’s cultures and we must band together – to stand as one.
Wellington’s Tomorrow People have embraced the message with this latest single. The 7-piece multiple Gold-selling record band, with four Māori language songs under their belt, have changed tack with ‘Rise Up’. It is the first song to be publicly released in New Zealand that features the three languages - English, Māori and Samoan – in the one song.
As part of the second phase of Waiata Anthems, the legendary Dame Hinewehi Mohi invited the Wellington band to contribute a bilingual song as a celebration of te reo Māori in popular NZ music. After some sound advice from Dame Hinewehi, Tomorrow People decided to take it a step further by incorporating a third language into the mix. What better way to support the movement, than to ask Tokelauan vocalist Fredwyn Kisona to embrace the native tongues of Aotearoa and Samoa and to sing in those languages.
Tomorrow People are a seven-piece band, made up of Avina Kelekolio, Te Aranga Savage, Snow Chase, Fredwyn Kisona, Duane Te Whetu, Hennie Tui and Tana Tupai. The ninth release of the year for the band, ‘Rise Up’ follows on from ‘Lose Track Of Time’, ‘Just A Little Bit’, ‘My Guy’, ‘Show Me’, ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ ‘Say My Name’, ‘Your Man’ and ‘Vows’.
Listen to ‘Rise Up’ HERE
Follow Tomorrow People:
Rua tekau mā whitu ngā waiata hou e whakanui nei i te umanga puoro reorua o Aotearoa | Twenty-seven new waiata celebrating the bilingual music industry of Aotearoa
I te rangi nei ka whakaputaina e Waiata/Anthems ngā waiata hou rawa a koni atu i te rua tekau mā whā kaiwaiata taunga noa nei me ngā kaiwaiata hou rawa ki te whakanui i te umanga puoro reorua o Aotearoa.
Today the Waiata/Anthems Coalition release the latest new waiata by more than two dozen established and emerging artists to celebrate the bilingual music industry in Aotearoa.
New releases mark 2021 Waiata Anthems Week
Today the Waiata/Anthems Coalition release the latest new waiata by more than two dozen established and emerging artists to celebrate the bilingual music industry in Aotearoa.
Following on from the momentum of the original 2019 waiata compilation album, today’s 27 new recordings have been released by Stan Walker, Paige, Sons of Zion, Georgia Lines, Tomorrow People, Troy Kingi, Louis Baker, Anna Coddington, and many, many more.
These songs join the already released ‘Pepeha’ by SIX60 and ‘Ko Te Hīnātoretanga’ by Hollie Smith and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Creator of Waiata/Anthems Dame Hinewehi Mohi says the collective music industry of Aotearoa coming together to celebrate and support a truly bilingual landscape is heartening.
“We’re supporting the movement with musicians from across the country to encourage all New Zealanders to celebrate our nation’s heritage language and to make it accessible through the power of music,” says Mohi.
“Creating this collection of waiata has been a journey for many of the artists involved, giving them a chance to connect with Te Ao Māori and their place in Aotearoa like never before.”
The full list of releases is below:
- SIX60 - ‘Pepeha’
- Stan Walker - ‘Tau Te Mārire / Take It Easy’
- Hamo Dell - ‘Ora Ai / Feeling Right’
- Paige - ‘Taiāniwha / Waves’
- Niko Walters - ‘Aroha Kaitangata / Vicious Love’
- Mikey Dam - ‘Māu / Would You’
- Anna Coddington ft. Louis Baker - ‘Aho / Beams’
- Muroki - ‘Rehurehu / Wavy’
- Reuben Fleetwood - ‘Haere Rā / So Do You’’
- Sons of Zion - ‘He Aroha Hinemoa / Love on the Run’
- Hollie Smith feat. NZSO - ‘Ko Te Hīnātoretanga / Coming in from the Dark’
- Troy Kingi - ‘Te Wai Nō Rua Whetū / Aztechknowledgey’
- Ria Hall - ‘Rangatira / Owner’
- Tomorrow People - ‘Rise Up’
- Valkyrie - ‘A Hakamana’
- Rei - 'Hoki Mai / Come Back To Me’
- Huia - 'Marama La Luna / Moon Moon’
- Ka Hao ft. Rob Ruha - ‘35’
- Louis Baker - ‘Te Utu o Te Aroha’
- Georgia Lines - ‘Tōrere / My Love’
- Tama Waipara ft. Maisey Rika - ‘Tiaho Iho Rā / East Coast Moon’
- William Waiirua - ‘Mauri Mahi, Mauri Ora / Do The Mahi, Get The Treats’
- Diaz Grimm - ‘Te Kore’
- Goldsmith Baynes - ‘Tīpuna’
- Ainslie Allen - ‘Te Ua Ka Mao’
- IA - ‘Whetū’
- Kings ft. Theia - ‘Pohewatia’
Due to Alert Level lockdowns, the events planned to support the Waiata Anthems releases will be postponed until further notice.
All the waiata released can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, Tidal and more.
- Audio playlists for Waiata Anthems 2021 available from September 3rd https://www.waiataanthems.co.nz/music
- Video playlist for Waiata Anthems 2021 available from September 3rd https://www.waiataanthems.co.nz/video
For more information, please visit www.waiataanthems.co.nz.
Ko ngā whakaputanga hou hei tohu i te Wiki o Waiata Anthems 2021
I te rangi nei ka whakaputaina e Waiata/Anthems ngā waiata hou rawa a koni atu i te rua tekau mā whā kaiwaiata taunga noa nei me ngā kaiwaiata hou rawa ki te whakanui i te umanga puoro reorua o Aotearoa.
Hei whai ake i te ānga o te waiata compilation album 2019, ko ngā waiata rua tekau mā whitu o te rangi nei kua puta i a Stan Walker rātau ko Paige, ko Sons of Zion, ko Georgia Lines, ko Tomorrow People, Troy Kingi, Louis Baker, Anna Coddington me te huhua, huhua noa atu.
Ko ēnei waiata nei hei hoa haere mō ‘Pepeha’ nā SIX60, mō ‘Ko Te Hīnātoretanga’ nā Hollie Smith me Te Tira Puoro o Aotearoa.
Hei tā Kahurangi Hinewehi Mohi, kaihanga o Waiata/Anthems, he tānga manawa te whakanuia o tētahi taiao reorua e te whakatōputanga huinga tira puoro o Aotearoa.
“E tautokohia ana e mātau te kaupapa a ngā ringapuoro puta noa i te motu ki te whakatītina i te whakanuia o te reo tuku iho o tō tātau whenua e Ngāi Aotearoa, ā, mā roto mai i te mana o te puoro” tā Mohi.
“He tūāoma te hangaia o tēnei kohinga waiata ki te nuinga o ngā kaiwaiata, i whai wāhi ai rātau ki te toro ki Te Ao Māori, ki tō ratau anō hononga ki Aotearoa, kāre anō kia kitea.”
Ko te roanga atu o ngā whakaputanga kei raro iho nei:
- ‘Pepeha’ - Nā SIX60
- ‘Tau Te Mārire / Take It Easy’ - Nā Stan Walker
- ‘Ora Ai / Feeling Right’ - Nā Hamo Deli
- ‘Taiāniwha / Waves’ - Nā Paige
- ‘Aroha Kaitangata / Vicious Love’ - Nā Niko Walters
- ‘Māu / Would You’ – Nā Mikey Dam
- ‘Aho / Beams’ – Nā Anna Coddington me Louis Baker
- ‘Rehurehu / Wavy’ - Nā Muroki
- ‘Haere Rā / So Do You’ - Nā Reuben Fleetwood
- ‘He Aroha Hinemoa / Love on the Run’ - Nā Sons of Zion
- ‘Ko Te Hīnātoretanga / Coming in from the Dark’ - Nā Hollie Smith me Te Tira Puoro o Aotearoa
- ‘Te Wai Nō Rua Whetū / Aztechknowledgey’ - Nā Troy Kingi
- ‘Rangatira / Owner’ - Nā Ria Hall
- ‘Rise Up’ - Nā Tomorrow People
- ‘A Hakamana’ - Nā Valkyrie
- 'Hoki Mai / Come Back To Me’ – Nā Rei
- 'Marama La Luna / Moon Moon’ – Nā Huia Hamon
- ‘35’ – Nā Ka Hao me Rob Ruha
- ‘Te Utu o Te Aroha’ – Nā Louis Baker
- ‘Tōrere / My Love’ – Nā Georgia Lines
- ‘Tiaho Iho Rā / East Coast Moon’ – Nā Tama Waipara me Maisey Rika
- ‘Mauri Mahi, Mauri Ora / Do The Mahi, Get The Treats’ – Nā Willian Waiirua
- ‘Te Kore’ – Nā Diaz Grimm
- ‘Tīpuna’ – Nā Goldsmith Baynes
- ‘Te Ua Ka Mao’ – Nā Ainslie Allen
- ‘Whetū’ – Nā IA
- ‘Pohewatia’ – Nā Kings me Theia
I te āhua ki ngā Rāhui ā-Motu Pae Mataara, i whakatārewatia ai ngā kaupapa i whakaritea hei tuara mō te whakaputanga o Waiata Anthems.
Ka kitea ngā whakaputanga waiata ki Spotify, Apple Music, TiriAta, Amazon Music, Tidal me ētahi atu anō hoki.
- Ka wātea ngā rārangi Oro a Waiata Anthems 2021 ki te katoa hei te 3 o Mahuru https://www.waiataanthems.co.nz/music
- Ka wātea te rārangi Ataata a Waiata Anthems 2021 ki te katoa hei te 3 o Mahuru https://www.waiataanthems.co.nz/video
Mō ētahi atu whakamārama, toro atu ki www.waiataanthems.co.nz
KING DEWURO’S DROPS WORLD CLASS DANCEHALL ANTHEM SIKA
Right from the drop Sika lets ‘dem know’. Along with the urgent, palpable energy there is a soulful undercurrent to the vocals which speak on the subject matter with open vulnerability.
Co-produced by Abraham Kunin (The Dalai Lama, Teeks, Home Brew, Phodiso, Freddy Reynold, Jujulipps). Right from the drop Sika lets ‘dem know’. Along with the urgent, palpable energy there is a soulful undercurrent to the vocals which speak on the subject matter with open vulnerability. ‘Sick me a sick inna me head money burst my brain money run inna me vein.’ The title itself, Sika, translates as money in Akan (Twi), Dewuro’s native tongue. Sika appeals to our universal need, the many ways of filling it, and the moral conundrums that follow.
Auckland based Richmond B Brentuo, better known by his stage name King Dewuro, is an artist from the Eastern region of Ghana, Koforidua. Dewuro’s music is an organic fusion of Reggae, Dancehall, Hip-hop, Afrobeat, and Highlife. The ‘King Dewuro’ moniker comes from a traditional gong, used to draw attention in the Ashanti Kingdom palace, the residence of Ghanaian royalty.
King Dewuro’s music journey started in church, where his father was the music director, and they interchanged as resident drummer. Dewuro’s works are inspired by his environment and life experiences, with music influences which include Tracy Chapman, Buju Banton, Bob Marley, and Ghana’s legendary Highlife artists.
Jamaica’s link to Ghana is well documented, and their shared history can be felt through the authenticity and authority with which Dewuro’s hybridized Ghanaian patois rocks a mic. Fans of modern Jamaican music will hear common threads in Sika to artists such as Chronixx and Masicka.
SIKA
Killloane 'anxiety'
Loane Records is thrilled to announce the release of the latest single from Killloane. ‘anxiety’ is a song about the daily struggles with anxiety in everyone’s lives.
Loane Records is thrilled to announce the release of the latest single from Killloane ; anxiety will be available everywhere on September 1ST 2021.
anxiety is a song about the daily struggles with anxiety in everyone’s lives it’s a song written, performed, and recorded, by Killloane at Loane Records produced by Zilla_. The single will be on streaming platforms September 1st 2021. anxiety connects with people on a personal and emotional level it really captivates the depth of how anxiety makes us all feel.
Killloane’s song anxiety will be his 6th song released following after his ep ‘STAN’ and ‘JACKPOT’ a collaboration with Nicky Smirk.
Loane Records will release a follow up single by Killloane in September and Zilla_ will release an album the following month in October (Date yet to be released) . Killloane is also currently working on an album set to be released in the final quarter of 2021
HONEYBEE 'ONE WINDOW'
Honeybee’s new single ‘One Window’ is a punchy track taking cues from 80’s indie and garage rock, capturing the angst and anxiety of young love.
Honeybee’s new single ‘One Window’ is a punchy track taking cues from 80’s indie and garage rock, capturing the angst and anxiety of young love. Produced by Angus Grainger of Two Water Studio and mastered by KOG Studio’s Chris Chetland.
After the independent release of their debut EP ‘Dusty’; Honeybee, the indie pop four-piece have spun Auckland around with their earworm tunes and are ready to proudly establish themselves as one of Aotearoa's powerhouses. Honeybee is exciting, invigorating, and one of the most promising acts to emerge from NZ's kaleidoscope of a music scene.
‘One Window’ officially debuts this August at their much anticipated release party, accompanied by the release of their second official music video. Honeybee have been quietly refining their sound over the last few months building towards the release of their sophomore EP.
The 1975, DIIV and Last Dinosaurs among others are laced throughout Honeybee’s musical DNA. Having independently built a robust musical foundation, Honeybee are ready to unleash their refreshing take on a familiar sound.