Today, Māori Music Award finalists, IA, (pronounced te reo: ‘e-ah’) release a new song ‘Te Aho Tapu‘ as part of Waiata Anthems Week 2022. Based in Waikato, the trio of young musicians are known for bringing taonga pūoro (traditional Māori instruments) into the modern music realm. Catch IA performing at the Going Global Music Summit showcase in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland this Saturday.
‘Te Aho Tapu’ is a velvety R&B track composed using Ngūru (traditional Māori flute). Reti Hedley, son of Rangiiria and lead singer of IA, says ‘Te Aho Tapu’ is a love song which takes inspiration from raranga, the art of traditional Māori weaving. Their goal was to create a waiata that encapsulates the two worlds of aroha and raranga in an authentic way.
“Waiata Anthems Week is a catalyst for Te Reo Māori within the music industry. As we know, te reo Māori is a metaphoric language and a language that provides insight into the world view of Māori, and in this case weaving. It is exciting to know that with the help of Waiata Anthems we can share this beautiful language with our iwi throughout Aotearoa,” says Reti.
‘Te Aho Tapu’ marks the first single release from IA’s forthcoming debut EP, The Art Of, due out January 2023. The EP will encompass a total of six waiata. Each waiata is inspired by one of the following Toi Māori artforms; Whakairo, Tā moko, Raranga, Kapa Haka, Tāonga Pūoro and Mau Rākau. The band has appointed an expert from each of these sectors to engage as a consultant to help guide the creative writing process and provide authentic inspiration for each composition.
2021 Māori Music Award finalists IA create indigenous soul music. Their compositions blend old with new and feature the voices found with traditional Māori instruments/taonga pūoro. The puoro voices are blended with modern instruments, ancient poetic writing style and modern soulful melodies. IA has been discovering new frontiers with traditional Maori instruments by using taonga puoro as the driving force in their creative process. Featuring Moetu Smith, Reti Hedley and Turoa Pohatu, the Waikato based band is dedicated to showcasing taonga puoro and Te Reo Maori in their music.
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