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Tātarakihi

2024 4m Music video
  • Soul
  • Te Reo
  • R&B

From (2024)

Musician and mātanga reo (language consultant) Tawaroa Kawana (Rangitāne), aka Tawaz, tuned into nature to beat writer's block during a songwriting wānanga (workshop) for the Waiata Anthems series. He presented fellow artist MOHI with a rhythm inspired by the sound of cicadas (kihikihi) and they traded takes to produce 'Tātarakihi', a waiata drawing on the mythological love story between Tamanui-te-rā (the sun) and Hine-raumati, who represents summer. The te reo Māori–English lyric video moves from coastal Northland scenery to the studio, depicting the collaborative process of writing and recording the track.