10 June 2022 - 0 Comments

With new beginnings in mind, Ed Waaka's E Kura will be released on July 1st, at a poignant time in 2022 when the people of Aotearoa come together to celebrate Matariki and shift their vision to the stars.

Featuring his signature ‘silk and sandpaper’ vocals, E Kura is a song written in acknowledgment of his late Kuia (grandmother). A musical thread between generations past and those just emerging.

“Ko tō manawa, e Kura Ko tōku manawa, ka irihia - Your heart, oh dear one, and mine, are bound together for all eternity. You and I are one.”

Singer / songwriter and producer, Ed Waaka (Te Rarawa / Ngati Pahuwera), is an artist that has made his name synonymous with soul. An artist whose music is consciously direct and spiritually uplifting.

The Tāmaki Makaurau based artist attributes his musical inspiration to times spent as a child on his papakainga (ancestral land) of Mitimiti. A small seaside settlement in Hokianga, Northland.

The wild and remote environment was fertile ground for the young songwriter growing up. Providing a deep source of Māoritanga, grounding and spiritual guidance that he continues to weave today.

E Kura was originally written during the 2020-2021 lockdown, where he also welcomed the birth of his first child, Māhina. Signalling the beginning of a whirlwind journey into fatherhood and Te Reo Māori.

“Initially I was overwhelmed with self-doubt. The experience uncovered past traumas around Māori identity that I didn't expect. When my daughter Māhina was born that thinking quickly changed and it became about being a voice for her.”

Reconnecting was important, so he enlisted the help of his cousins, Māori language experts, Stephanie Fong and Dr Jennifer Martin,

“Writing a song in Te Reo with whanau is one of the most uplifting and humbling experiences of my musical journey so far. I searched the piano for inspiration while we spoke of childhood memories . 3 hours later we had a finished song. My unborn daughter Māhina was there with us, kicking around inside my partner's belly while we wrote the song. We all felt our grandmother in the room too. The generations above and beneath us guiding each word with a message that no matter where life takes you, you take your tipuna with you and you are the tipuna for those to come. Their light lives in you, so let it shine bright. Let it be seen.”

No stranger in the NZ music scene, Ed Waaka has worked and played alongside notable NZ artists Troy Kingi, Trinity Roots, Home Brew, Melodownz, Louis Baker and Andy Lovegrove (Breaks Co-Op). His music has been broadcast and performed on TV & Radio stations across the country including RNZ, Māori Television and TVNZ’s Māori current affairs show ‘Marae’. Recently his acoustic version of Clockwork featured on ‘Head High’ a critically acclaimed and pioneering New Zealand TV drama.

In 2020, his song Revolution was nominated for ‘Best Music Video’ at the Maori Music Awards, and Semi-Finalist in the prestigious International Songwriting Competition in 2021. He is one of the most powerful songwriters to emerge from Aotearoa’s rich musical landscape.

As well as being a respected member of the NZ music industry, he is a digital integrator working in the wider technology space. In March 2020, he combined these two passions and created E NOHO, a digital storytelling platform created to champion the NZ music community at a time of social uncertainty. E NOHO featured over 47 emerging and established NZ artists including Troy Kingi, Melodownz, Aro, Mara TK, Lou’ana, Aria, Arjuna Oakes, Kerryn Fields, PRINS, CHAII, KITA, AJA, Jenny Mitchell, VIKAE, Alayna and many more.

Thanks to a huge groundswell of public support via a successful Boosted campaign, E NOHO has a bright new future in 2023, partnering up with little wilderness to present its next series, 'Live in the Wild'.

E Kura will be released on July 1st.

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