Henika is the moniker of Slovak born multi-instrumentalist Henrieta Tornyai. Her self-titled EP won Best Independent Debut at the Taite Music Awards in 2017.
Her new single Future Of The Species was made using samples of native birdsong. The accompanying video stars a Kokako, Kakapo, Tieke, Kiwi and Tui in the form of dance troupe Street Candee wearing papier-mache headpieces crafted by Henika herself.
The song uses the idea of mating rituals of the avian world to turn interpersonal gender tropes in the human world on their head and explore power dynamics from that vantage point. The lyrics "Please understand this ain't personal, I just need your genetic material" are rapped over samples of predator free birds and a lead instrument (Theremin) that is played without being touched.
Pending lockdown level status, Henika will be celebrating the release of Future of the Species at the Wine Cellar, with support from Vox Venus and Little Weird, with tickets available from Under The Radar.
Henika is the childhood nickname of Henrieta Tornyai, a Slovak born singer songwriter based in Auckland. Her sound is a complex mix of alternative rock, folk and jazz, influenced by artists like Jeff Buckley, Nick Cave and PJ Harvey.
Henika is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass guitar and upright bass. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix, she took up the guitar as a child. She then went on to study jazz at university level, ultimately travelling to the United States to study bass with jazz great Richard Davis.
Upon returning to New Zealand, Henika began working on her own original music. In 2015, she was awarded a grant to record and make a music video by NZ On Air. She held the number one spot on theaudience.co.nz chart for December and January with her winning song. The song was produced Andrew Buckton who has worked with such acts as Midnight Youth, The D4, Stereogram, Neil Finn and many more.