Waiata Ma¯ori theway of the future for Theia

Theia is known for her different type of alt-pop, but lately she’s been composing in a centuries-old genre of waiata. Glenn McConnell reports.

To the world, she is known as Theia – a pop musician who is cheery, a bit strange (or ‘‘alternative’’) and fits in well at dance festivals. But performing under a new name with new music, the artist EmWalker is completely unrecognisable from her alt-pop persona.

On Monday, Walker released her second selfcomposed song in te reo. Titled E Taku Huia Kaimanawa, the single is a tribute to her kuia, Mite Kukutai, who died four years ago.

Walker credits her kuia with much of her success as amainstreammusician but also – as listeners are now discovering – a talented composer ofwaiata Ma¯ori.

Her latest release follows the success of a Christmas song she composed in te reo last year, and released under the name Theia.

Te Kaiwhakaora o Te Ao has proven to be one of her most popular songs, perhaps suggesting that there’s real demand for more Ma¯ori music.

But Walker says she has always wanted to releasewaiataMa¯ori. She has been writing in te reo since she was at school, but her waiata have tended to be so personal that she hasn’t felt comfortable releasing them publicly.

Now feels like the right time to show the world her taha Ma¯ori as an artist, Walker says. Under the new name of Te Kaahu, she promises to keep releasing waiata Ma¯ori.

And while she admits there may be a day she no longer performs as Theia (may being the key word) she says Te Kaahu is a lifelong commitment.

With Te Kaahu’s debut being so close to home, a tribute toWalker’s kuia was especially poignant.

‘‘It’s taken four years just to feel like I’m in the right space, to be able towrite and release this waiata.

‘‘I only wrote E Taku Huia Kaimanawa about two months ago. Honestly, it just took me that long because it was so painful. She was truly my poutokomanawa, the centre pole of my childhood and all things – especially pertaining to my taha Ma¯ori,’’ Walker says.

In the mid 20th-century, Walker’s kuia moved from the Tainui rohe in Waikato to Christchurch. But even though the mokopuna would grow up far from their ‘‘home’’ and marae in the north, Walker says their kuia made sure they kept contact with their iwitanga.

It’s her connection to her iwi and Ma¯oritanga that got her interested in music to start with, Walker says.

‘‘I got brought up on a lot of the old-school stuff, if you will. I am a kapa haka child, so since I was very little, I’ve sung and learnt the very old-school stuff,’’ she recalls.

Being a kapa haka kid meant going along to practices, being surrounded by waiata, haka and ko¯rero Ma¯ori.

When Walker talks about ‘‘the very old-school stuff’’, she means very, very old. This style of performance goes back longer than ‘‘New Zealand’’ itself.

She’s talking about styles of music such as mo¯teatea, a centuries-old style of poetry, chant or song of lament. She mentions ngeri as well, a style of haka that doesn’t get the same mainstream attention as Ka Mate, as it’s performed more as a chant without set actions.

These discussions couldn’t be further apart from the character of Theiawhich has been publicly projected the past few years.

Walker describes Theia as ‘‘futuristic’’. Hits such as Roam are layeredwith drum machines, echoed voices and synthesised beats.

But she says the music released under Te Kaahu will be almost the complete opposite. She wants to write music that pays homage to the traditional styles of waiata.

It’s a dream that one day a team at the national kapa haka competition, Te Matatini, might chose to perform music she has composed.

‘‘I feel like that’s what I’m starting to delve into now, the essence of this old-school songwriting that deals in metaphors.

‘‘To write like that, you must either have the whakaaro Ma¯ori – the Ma¯ori mindset – or some sort of fluency,’’ she says.

At university, Walker studied a double degree in Te Reo Rangatira andMa¯ori and Indigenous Studies.

‘‘When you compose you must think and write in Ma¯ori, as opposed to thinking in English and having to translate that song.’’

In many ways, Walker’s focus on traditional composing is a return to her first performances as amusician. She has her kuia to thank for those, as well.

Growing up, she says her kuia would always push her to perform and encourage her to keep writing. ‘‘When we’d go to wha¯nau events, she’d say, ‘Now my moko will sing!’’’

Walker had to think on her feet, improvising and performing her kuia’s favourite waiata with little notice. She also pushed Walker to break into mainstream pop.

‘‘When Roam was released, she listened to it on her birthday, and then she passed away seven days later. She was always there and absolutely just thought whatever I was doing was awesome.’’

With the launch of Te Kaahu being dedicated to her kuia, Walker reckons she would be ‘‘over the moon, very proud and a little shy’’.

I ama kapa haka child, so since I was very little, I’ve sung and learnt the very oldschool stuff.