New EP four years in the making

Taipari Waaka is going it alone, with his first solo EP release coming out next month, but there are plenty of people who have his back.

Waaka has been plugging away on the Palmerston North music scene for many years, working with the Lockdown 06 crew of rappers, musicians and DJS, helping out other artists in his recording studio and mentoring and Djing a weekly radio slot on Access Manawatu.

Me, My Selfie and Ice is the name of the EP that will be released on May 6 and Waaka said it has been four years in the making. ‘‘Lots of people label me as a singer, or a rapper, but those are just influences that I have. I actually started in blues and as I grew I learnt the other stuff. They were like extra instruments. So the sound on this is a little bit bi-polar because my influences are so vast. It’s all over the place, but the overall vision is this is my personality. I don’t like to be boxed.’’

Waaka has made an accompanying music video for his single We Back with director Jordan Linton and editor Ezra Macdonald. Filmed at the Takaro basketball courts and other Palmerston North locations, Waaka said he involved people from Highbury. ‘‘It was really cool. We went to the Stomach, Pork Chop Hill, the Highbury shops, the Highbury Church.’’

Waaka will be doing a free, all ages video release event at Highbury’s Legacy Church on April 14. ‘‘I thought why not do it in the community where we shot it. We will feature four local artists performing. I’ll be hosting it and then at the end of the show we will bring the big screen down for the video presentation with some interviews with the kids on the day and then we’ll play the music video.‘‘