26 Nov 2024
Music News - Louis Baker shares new single + video 'Kapakapa' feat Kings
14 April 2022 - 0 Comments
Wellington based singer-songwriter Louis Baker returns in 2022 with his latest single Kapakapa Feat. Kings. The track melds Baker's honey-toned soulful vocals with the distinctive style of multi-platinum
Auckland producer / rapper, Kings.
Accompanying the release today is a playful visualizer featuring both performers, created by animator Jade Paynter.
WATCH HERE
Produced by Rory Noble, Kapakapa is a fluid union of Te Reo Māori and English language vocals, modern hip-hop / beats and vintage synthesiser soul — set against a straight / swung drum pattern straight out of the J Dilla playbook.
Written at the inaugural APRA Reo Māori SongHubs at Waimārama Marae, Louis (Ngā Puhi) spent the day writing with Kings (Tuhoe, Te Arawa), globally connected Palmerston North producer / artist Rory Noble (Parihaka, Ngāti Kahukura-Korokī) and Te Reo Māori translator and songwriter Te Kuru o te Marama Dewes (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Rangitihi).
“Kapakapa is about the heart that continues to beat for your one true love, and is likened to a butterfly and the flutter of its wings. “Mōu ēnei ringa” (These hands are for you) encapsulates what the song is about” says Louis of the song.
"When you have a powerhouse room preloaded with Louis, Rory Noble on the tools and translated by Te Kuru Dewes, it kind of makes it easy to create magic, and I think we did that.” says Kings of the session.
For Te Kuru, sitting in a wharenui at the foot of the mountain on the coast of Waimārama was a perfect vibe. “Louis conjured the innovative idea to alternate from Māori to English, and for the lines not to be literal translations but a continuous story,” he explains. “This bilingual style makes Te Reo more accessible, but at the same time challenges listeners to learn the meaning behind the words, buried beneath the sauce.”
Kapakapa is the second single from Baker and King’s session at the Waimārama writing camp. The first single Overdrive released in 2021 and secured the #1 spot on the Hot NZ Singles Chart. It has clocked over 1.3 million Spotify streams to date.
Following on from his 5-track EP Love Levitates (2021) and his first reo rua (bi-lingual) single, Te Utu of Te Aroha (2021), Kapakapa proves that there is no limit to Louis Baker’s sonic mastery or the depth to his lyrics.
Stay tuned for more Louis Baker this year.
Made with the support of NZ On Air & Te Māngai Pāho.
Photo Credit: Nick George
Single Artwork: Kyoko (ULO)
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