TE KAAHU has shared a powerful performance of her singing three waiatas (songs) for the latest instalment of Rolling Stone’s ‘In My Room’, a series in which artists perform from home following an era which has seen live shows become a rarity.
Lifted from the debut album of Em-Haley Walker’s reo Māori project, the songs — or waiatas as they are known in Walker’s native Aotearoa — carry a powerful message of peace.
Recorded at The Lab in Auckland and backed by Amy Boroevich (backing vocals), Jol Mulholland (guitar), and Levi Gemmell (Lap Steel Guitar), TE KAAHU takes us on a journey of utmost respect and love to her tūpuna wāhine (female ancestors), her beloved haukāinga river in the Waikato, as well as the principles of Te Ao Māori.
As she performs her songs “E Taku Huia Kaimanawa”, “Rangirara” and “Taupiri” — all lifted from her debut album Te Kaahu O Rangi — her seraphic vocals are at the forefront. “These are songs my grandmothers and aunties would’ve cried to, danced to, and loved,” she says.
Te Kaahu O Rangi was produced by the award-winning Jol Mulholland at The Lab, with TE KAAHU herself co-producing several tracks.
Check out TE KAAHU’s performance in the player above, or by heading over to Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s Instagram page. In the meantime, her debut album, Te Kaahu O Rangi, can be streamed below.
