17 September 2021 - 0 Comments

Today, Stan Walker celebrates the release of his new album Te Arohanui, marking an important and deeply personal milestone for the award-winning Māori performing artist, as he shares his first body of work in Reo Māori.

“It was inevitable that I would release a reo Māori album. It wasn’t a matter of if, but when. Now is the perfect time. The first waiata I remember singing were Whakaaria Mai and Ma Te Mārie. Our reo, our waiata, our hīmene are a huge part of my whakapapa and upbringing. Being Māori, nō Ngai Te Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga, Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngai Tahu, it is in my DNA, it is in my blood. I credit my voice and all that it holds to all those who have come before me. My tupuna fought and died so that I, we could be all that we should be. Their dreams have been bought to life in this album. I am their legacy. This is a dedication of aroha to them. To sing in te reo māori and release music in my native tongue is healing, uplifting and empowering. Our reo brings life to the world. It brings life to me. It’s an honour to have been gifted this taonga. Now I gift this taonga to the world.”

Te Arohanui is now available in full on all digital streaming services via Sony Music Entertainment New Zealand.

To honour the album’s namesake, today Stan reveals the title track and accompanying video for Te Arohanui to honour his family matriarch Te Arohanui McLeod, known affectionately as “Nanny Taini.”

WATCH TE AROHANUI HERE

In celebration of the past, present and future, Te Arohanui is a melting pot of Stan’s greatest hits for fans to enjoy in Reo Māori, such as Tau Te Mārire (Take It Easy), Tēnā Rā Koe (Thank You) and Kōwhiria Atu (Choose) feat. Hamo Dell to new waiata waiting to be enjoyed.

The album is released today with a 13th additional track Te Kākano Ahau and features the recently released single Matemateāone which became the second most trending video on YouTube music on release. The video created with New Zealand filmmaker Shae Sterling hit well over 100k views in just 7 days in record timing.

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