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Rei has been on the rise for several years now, but, according to the man himself, he’s just released one of his “most unapologetically Māori songs.”
It’s pointedly called “Never Ceded” and, although it was recorded in Aotearoa alongside longtime collaborator and engineer Chris Shetland, the song first came to fruition during a writing session in Canada.
“Being away gave me a fresh perspective on home,” Rei said about the experience. “It reminded me that te ao Māori is one of the most unique and beautiful cultures in the world. I wanted ‘Never Ceded’ to sound like that, to carry haka, mōteatea and taonga pūoro into a modern hip-hop record.”
Travelling far-flung places as his career has grown has become customary for Rei. He’s toured across Canada, Japan, and Australia, showcasing his genre-hopping music at key events such as SXSW Sydney and WOMEX Manchester.
He’s currently on another trek in Canada, with shows still to come in London (the Ontario one), Toronto, Sherbrooke, and Rimouski.
Earlier this year, though, it was all about Aotearoa, as Rei celebrated his excellent 2025 album Moisturise & Decolonise around his homeland.
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We mean it when we say “genre-hopping”: Rei’s latest album journeyed through soulful kaupapa-driven rap, R&B-inflected anthems, tropical-pop, and more, all embedded with the spirit of te ao Māori.
“The album is about duality,” he said. “Many of us are on a journey reclaiming language and culture while also trying to look after ourselves. ‘Moisturise & Decolonise’ is a reminder to regenerate, meditate, and take care of yourself during that journey.”
We caught up with Rei in the middle of his busy year of touring to find out more about his relationship with his Māori identity, his journey to this exciting chapter of his career, and much more.
Follow Rei’s music here and here.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: As we look ahead to a new year in the Maramataka, tell us how you’ve been going and what’s ahead for you?
Rei: I’ve been going all good! We’ve been busy planning my Matariki tour and planning a tour across Canada for August.
I’ve been pumping out heaps of collabs this year, from “Ancestor NRG” with Handsome Tiger, to my UNCLES te reo rap band, to “Korikori” with Huia and Shaka.
The 2nd half of 2026 will be more of my own solo singles.
Where are you from in Aotearoa?
I’m from Pōneke Wellington. My marae is Kikopiri, just south of Levin in Horowhenua.
I’ve been living in Tāmaki Auckland for 11 years now!
How would you describe the space you’re in creatively at the moment?
I’ve been learning taonga puoro over the past year and a half. I’m now trying to incorporate these more and more into my music and live sets.
I’m also trying to really hone this genre of ‘haka rap’, and see how far I can take that. From my singles “Toitū” and “Haka Through the Pain”, I know there is a market for this style of music. And I’m confident I can have a big viral haka hit over the next couple of years!
Do you think your Māori identity is something you consciously write about, or has it become impossible to separate from who you are as an artist?
It’s pretty hard to separate it at this point. I used to write songs about being mixed and about struggling with identity stuff, but as I got more solid in who I am, I wrote about that less and less.
I’m just confidently and unapologetically me, and I think that confidence comes through in my recent releases.
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Some emotions seem easier to express in one language than another. Have you found te reo Māori has allowed you to express things you couldn’t quite say in English?
Yeah, for sure. Sometimes the lyrics sound super cheesy when you translate them from te reo to english, but in te reo they sound super poetic.
There are so many words in te reo that mean multiple things, so the opportunities for wordplay is super cool.
Do you think Māori music is still underrepresented in Aotearoa music? If so, what can be done to change this?
Yeah, for sure. It’s hard because Māori musicians definitely dominate Aotearoa music in general. We are well over represented in the Aotearoa music awards and the Silver Scrolls.
However, when it comes to te reo music, these songs still generally get a lot less radio play, playlisting, and air time. We’ve come a long way in the past few years, but we’ve still got work to do.
I look forward to the day when I don’t get asked about singing in te reo in interviews, because it’s just become that normal!
What’s your favourite waiata of all time?
Tough question, and sorry to answer with a non-Māori song, but “Last Last” by Burna Boy has been my favourite song of the last few years.
If I can do for Māori/Pacific music what Burna Boy has done for Afrobeats even to 1/100th of the scale, I’ll be happy.
I went to his concert in Tāmaki last year and I was blown away by how seamlessly he wove his culture into his music and throughout his performance. Goals!
And who’s one young Māori artist you think our readers should know about?
KiaoraUTA is a young reo rapper from Porirua who I’ve done a bit of mentoring with. He’s got some dope moteatea x Travis Scott-type rap flows. Excited to see what he comes up with next!!
