10 December 2021 - 0 Comments

Theia’s reo Māori project Te Kaahu is ending 2021 on a soaring high, with the release of a live version of her great grandmother’s classic waiata Kiwi Weka.

The waiata was recorded earlier this year at Unitech’s Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae in Tāmaki Makaurau as part of an RNZ Live Session.

Theia (Waikato-Tainui, Ngaati Tiipaa) is joined by HINA (on backing vocals), Delaney Davidson (on lap steel guitar) and Jol Mulholland (on acoustic guitar).

Listen to Kiwi Weka HERE
Watch the lyric video for Kiwi Weka HERE

This special version of Kiwi Weka serves as a tribute to Theia’s late great grandmother, Mite Te Aho Karaka Kukutai, who composed the original waiata.

“I feel her mana when I perform this waiata. I grew up hearing it sung all the time at marae, kapahaka and parties. My grandmother Rangi (Mite’s daughter) would encourage me to sing it too, as a waiata tautoko (supporting song),” says Theia.

To accompany the waiata, Theia commissioned an original hand-painted piece by Kiri Raukawa (Ngaati Porou, Maniapoto).

The RNZ Live Session, which aired during te wiki o te reo Māori, gave audiences a sneak peak of Te Kaahu’s upcoming debut album, set for release in 2022. Watch live versions of Rangirara and E Hine Ē.

The Te Kaahu album is made up of original compositions in reo Māori penned by Theia. So it does not include ‘Kiwi Weka’, however, the singer-songwriter felt compelled to release this version as a stand-alone piece.

“Apart from old videos of nanny Mite singing it or her kapahaka performing it, I haven’t been able to find a Waikato version on Spotify or Apple. Also, I love this version – you can feel that genuine energy. It’s not polished. And it’s recorded in a wharenui. So it’s important to me to put it up there as a resource for my iwi and also as her great granddaughter.”

Theia is a fierce proponent of the revitalisation of Māori language and culture, and through Te Kaahu she pays tribute to her tūpuna wāhine (female ancestors). She also seeks to shine a light on the beauty and vulnerability in Māori music.

In the short space of 12 months, Te Kaahu has gone from strength to strength, with chart and radio success in Aotearoa but also international recognition. This includes Te Kaahu being handpicked by Apple Music as the feature artist for September 2021’s ‘Up Next’ campaign, which identifies and showcases rising talent from across the globe. It saw the single Rangirara chart in 13 Apple Music charts around the world and enter the NZ Spotify Viral Chart.

Te Kaahu also drew the attention of TikTok with Theia invited to do a live performance as part of Māori Language Week in September 2021. She has also recently featured in Rolling Stone AU, NME AU and Tone Deaf.

Stay tuned for the release of the debut Te Kaahu album in 2022.

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