Ocean Moon/Hina Ki Tai

In my original version of 'Ocean Moon', I did sing a Cook Island verse in there, so this version of 'Hina Ki Tai', it's kind of bilingual because we've got te reo Māori and the Cook Island Māori in there as well.

– Singer Annie Crummer on the 2021 version of her song 'Ocean Moon', Te Ao Māori News website, 6 May 2021

We have evolved so much...I remember when [album] Language came out back in the early 90s. And I think there was Moana Maniapoto singing in te reo Māori. It was quite a push for us to let everyone see what we were actually doing. Now of course it's just evolved really quickly, and I think it's pretty cool to be brown.

– Annie Crummer on the sea change in New Zealand culture since she released her first solo album Language in 1992, Te Ao Māori News, 6 May 2021

I've always been told to feel it and as I got older, I started to really understand what that means. You've got to mean every single word. So you will hear that when you hear the song, every syllable has got heart in it. Even though I'm singing in a different language, you also don't sing it literally, you have got to mean it.

– Annie Crummer on the emotional work that goes into a good performance, TV Guide 22 April 2021

It's really about the love they have, the ocean and the moon. When I saw that vision I really saw it when I was in Raro, sitting on the beach and a full moon...and I could see that they can't actually touch, but the connection was the glistening...it's a real yearning, it's a tragic story!

– Annie Crummer on the meaning behind her song 'Ocean Moon/Hina ki Tai', in her episode of Waitata/Anthems

I only found out late in my adult life that I had dyslexia and oh my gosh...everything made sense to me about me.

– Annie Crummer on being diagnosed with dyslexia, in episode seven of Waiata/Anthems

I think it's important to understand the synergies in our Polynesian knowledge and stories and this song is one way our shared heritage can be shared with the world.

– Mātanga Reo (Language Consultant) Pānia Papa on the mix of languages in Annie Crummer's song 'Hina ki Tai'

I got the mint translator — Pānia Papa — who helped translate my English lyrics into te reo Māori. When she translates, it's not a literal translation process. The translator takes what I'm saying and just makes the most beautiful sounds to tell my story. It just sings so beautifully – it's hard to explain, but it isn't literal in terms of the translation. I'm telling my story, and she's translating that story in te reo Māori. It's so beautiful to see. Not to mention, it was bootcamp reo class for me!

– Annie Crummer on the process of translating 'Ocean Moon' into te reo Māori, TV Guide 22 April 2021