Spy: The rising stars of Waiata Anthems

Waiata Anthems’ fifth anniversary kicks off with nine extraordinary artists.
The rising stars of the 2024 Waiata Anthems Taumata Programme are set to shine at Auckland Museum. Ahead of the showcase, they tell Ricardo Simich about the stories behind their work.
The fifth anniversary of Waiata Anthems kicks off Friday, September 13, with nine extraordinary artists following in the steps of Six60, Benee, and Stan Walker, with live performances in the atrium at Auckland Museum.
The Waiata Anthems movement is celebrating its five-year milestone of cultural renaissance with the vinyl release of the inaugural compilation album which debuted at number one on the Kiwi music charts.
All this year’s nine artists represent diverse talent from across the country, each uniquely blending Te Reo Māori into their varying genres – from contemporary trip-hop, neo-soul, to the next banger anthem of the summer.
Over September the nine creators of this year’s music have their musical Te Reo journeys accompanied by documentaries released online.
At the museum, they will all perform their Waiata live in front of a crowd for the first time.
At the end of the month, the movement’s co-founder Dame Hinewehi Mohi will take on another record, a Guinness one, of the world’s largest Haka at Eden Park.
Amongst this year’s stars on the rise are Nikau Grace, Mohi, M­­­Ā, Magic Pāora and Dillastrate duo – Henare ‘H’ Kaa and Tim Driver.
Five years ago, the inaugural Waiata album was a game-changer for Dillastrate’s Kaa.
“Most especially was hearing Benee’s hit song Soaked, reinterpreted in Te Reo to Kua Kore He Kupu, which reached number five on New Zealand artists’ singles chart – was a game changer.
The te reo Māori version of the song hits “much harder” says Kaa.
Dillastrate harnessed their creative synergy to create an electrifying banger Kei Whati Te Marama that is set to explode on the summer festival circuit.
“Kei Whati Te Marama – Lest The Moon Fall, is a love song which is a thank you to all the powerful wahine toa in our lives,” Kaa explains.
“Tim and I are lucky that the most supportive people in our lives are our wives, aka our CEOs.”
For Mohi, a friend’s musical riff took him intergalactic, so he wrote his waiata My Love, a song about finding love in outer space, and his neo-soul rhythms work into a celebration of love and his whānau and marae.
“I went into the studio to work with my bro Noema, he started playing the opening riff to the song and it kinda sounded spacey to me,” says Mohi. “Naturally, I caught a vibe and wrote the lyrics to mirror the feeling of the tune.”
Mohi was honoured to be part of the WA Taumata Program with the other nine artists and says he loves the different sounds and genres Māori artists are diving into creatively.
Grace created an infectious pop Waiata Rapua te Mea Ngaro – Into the Unknown.
“My waiata symbolizes the journey of protecting the inner flame – the vital essence that drives our passion, purpose, and sense of self,” says Grace.
“The song’s creation was deeply personal, and having a camera follow me so closely for the documentary was daunting at first.
“It felt intense, especially during vulnerable moments, but it also pushed me to stay authentic and true to myself,” she says.
Like Grace, Pāora also felt vulnerable during the documentary-creating process, but she is proud of her beautiful anthem Taku Mana which draws on the soul of her voice empowering mana motuhake.
“The word mana motuhake is mostly associated with something political, the mana that I am also talking about is the sovereign power that you carry in your DNA that was passed through from your ancestors and the very strong and real connection we have to our environment,” says Pāora.
M­­­Ā is forever grateful for the trust and the experience she had in the Taumata Program.
“I was confused because I have never heard of a kaupapa like this and didn’t realise the weight of this opportunity until we had our first wānanga in Ōhope,” says M­­­Ā
M­­­Ā’s Waiata Pūhā me te Porohewa fuses contemporary trip-hop with lyrics exploring ignorance and racism, delivering commentary on societal challenges.
She says the song is a thank you to all those doing the hard work to ensure Te Iwi Māori or Ngā Iwi Taketake are seen, heard, understood and acknowledged.
“I have so much love and respect for these people, such as Dame Hinewehi, they do the most to ensure Waiata Reo Māori and Māori artists are supported,” she says.
Check out the Waiata Anthems and their accompanying documentaries at waiataanthems.co.nz.
Chase Woods, MĀ, Mārei, TAWAZ, Nikau Grace, Jordyn With a Why, MOHI and MAJIC will perform at the Waiata Anthems Taumata Programme showcase at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum, Friday September 13. Tickets are available from aucklandmuseum.com.
Ricardo Simich is the Herald’s Spy editor. Based in Auckland he covers all roads that lead to popular culture.