Pere Wihongi
Pere Te Ruru o te Ramana Wihongi (born 1993 or 1994),[1] sometimes known mononymously as PERE, is a New Zealand musician, voice actor, choreographer, and kapa haka performer. He is part of the award-winning music groups Maimoa and Te Kākano.
| Pere Wihongi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993 or 1994 (age 29–30) Herekino, New Zealand |
| Member of | Maimoa Te Kākano |
Early life
Wihongi was born and raised in Herekino. The family moved to Auckland when Wihongi was 9, and he began attending the Te Kura Kaupapa Māori ā Rohe o Māngere immersion school. While there he competed in and won the Ngā Manu Kōrero speech competition. He then attended South Seas Film & Television School to pursue a career in television.[1]
Career
Television
Wihongi's first job was as a production assistant, but eventually he worked his way up to be a reporter on current affairs shows such as Te Karere and Marae, and presenting the children's show Pūkana. In 2019, Wihongi started doing music and voice acting for the children's cartoon Pipi Mā.[1][2] In 2021, Wihongi was a judge on the talent show 5 Minutes Of Fame.[3]
Music
In 2015, Wihongi formed the music group Pūkana and Whānau with fellow Pūkana presenters. They changed their name to Maimoa in 2017. Maimoa appeared on the reality television shows Voices of Our Future and Waiata Nation, which documented the creation of their second single "Wairua" and their debut album Rongomaiwhiti respectively.[4][5] Wihongi formed another music group, Te Kākano, in 2018.
Wihongi had his solo debut in 2019 with the single "High on Ingoingo".[6] He won Best Māori Male Solo Artist at that years Waiata Māori Music Awards, alongside winning Best Traditional Album and Best Māori Pop Album for Te Kākano's self-titled debut album.[7]
Film
In 2022, Wihongi joined the production company Matewa Media as the co-musical director alongside Rob Ruha for the Māori dub of the 1994 Disney film The Lion King.[8] In addition to this role, he also provided the voice of Olaf in the dub of Frozen.[9]
Kapa haka
Wihongi has competed in kapa haka competition Te Matatini since he was 15. He founded the kapa haka group Angitū.[1] At Te Matatini 2023, Angitū broke gender norms by having Wihongi and Tuhoe Tamaiparea perform in the poi line.[10]
Personal life
Wihongi identifies as takatāpui and uses both masculine and feminine pronouns. His iwi are Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāpuhi, and Ngāti Wai.[1]
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Pere Kirihimete |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot [12] |
NZ Hot Artist [13] | ||||||
| "High on Ingoingo"[14] | 2019 | 19 | 1 | Non-album singles | |||
| "Te Haa o Aotearoa"[15] | — | — | |||||
| "E Raka e"[16] (with Maimoa) |
2020 | — | — | Rongomaiwhiti | |||
| "Iarere Āio"[17] (featuring Mohi) |
2022 | 40 | 4 | Non-album single | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
Singles as featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Artist [18] |
NZ Hot [13] |
NZ Hot Artist [13] | |||||
| "Te Matatini Ki Te Ao"[19][20] (among National Kapa Haka Festival 2019) |
2018 | — | 31 | 8 | Non-album singles | ||
| "Pakipaki Mai"[21] (Te Nūtube featuring Pere and Friends) |
2019 | — | 24 | 4 | |||
| "Stay"[22] (among Tūtahi) |
2020 | 16 | 10 | 1 | |||
| "Minamina"[23] (Valkyrie featuring Pere) |
— | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
Promotional singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot Artist [13] | |||||||
| "Mahuru"[24] | 2020 | 9 | Non-album single | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Artist [18] |
NZ Hot [13] |
NZ Hot Artist [13] | |||||
| "Tōrea" (Makaira Berry, Hamiora Tuari and Pere Wihongi) |
2018 | 20 | 27 | 13 | Te Kākano | ||
| "Kia Tika Rā" (Pere Wihongi and Makaira Berry) |
— | — | 13 | ||||
| "Raumati" | 2019 | — | — | 14 | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artists | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "He Rā Hou Tēnai" | 2017 | Awatea Wihongi | Pao Pao Pao, Vol. 1 |
| "Pao Pao Pao" | Te Whānau Pao Pao Pao, Makaira Berry, Mareikura Nathan, Awarea Wihongi | ||
| "Tū Mai" | 2018 | Makaira Berry, Hamiora Tuari, Mere Arihi Pipi-Takoko | Te Kākano |
| "Raumati" | — | ||
| "Hikaia Te Ahikōmau" | Makaira Berry | ||
| "Tōrea" | Makaira Berry, Hamiora Tuari | ||
| "Kia Tika Rā" | Makaira Berry | ||
| "Te Puea" | Makaira Berry, Mere Arihi Pipi-Takoko, Hamiora Tuari | ||
| "Matike Maranga" | 2019 | Makaira Berry, Puawai Taiapa | Tākaro Tribe |
| "Ahakamana" | Makaira Berry, Puawai Taiapa |
References
- Yates, Siena (5 February 2023). "Pere Wihongi is carving his own path for the 'Olympics of kapa haka'". Stuff.
- Haimona-Riki, Mare (7 August 2019). "Pipi Mā launches season two at Ihumātao". Te Ao Māori News.
- Nealon, Sarah (6 May 2021). "Pere Wihongi and Bella Kalolo are judges on Māori TV's new talent show 5 Minutes Of Fame". Stuff.
- "'Wairua' video nominated for Māori music award". Te Ao Māori News. 1 August 2017.
- Kunin, Junelle (December 2020). "Maimoa: Collective Influence". NZ Musician.
- "PERE 'HIGH ON INGOINGO'". Music Managers Forum Aotearoa. 7 June 2019.
- "Waiata Māori Music Award winners announced". Creative Waikato. 13 September 2019.
- "The Lion King Reo Māori: Sharyn And Jayden Chat With Pere Wihongi About Her Role In The New Film". The Edge. 6 July 2022.
- Perry, James (12 September 2022). "Frozen Te Reo Māori cast revealed". Te Ao Māori News.
- "Te Matatini: Leaders inspire on day 2, gender roles challenged". 1 News. 23 February 2023.
- "PERE KIRIHIMETE - EP". iTunes. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- Peak positions for Pere's singles on the NZ hot singles chart:
- For "Tōrea": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- For "Te Matatini Ki Te Ao": "Hot 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- For "High on Ingoingo": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- For "Pakipaki Mai": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- For "Stay": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- For "Iarere Āio": "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- Peak positions for Seth Haapu's singles on the NZ artist hot singles chart:
- For "Tōrea", "Kia Tika Rā": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- For "Te Matatini Ki Te Ao": "Hot 20 NZ Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- For "High on Ingoingo": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- For "Raumati": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- For "Pakipaki Mai": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- For "Stay": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- For "Mahuru": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- For "Iarere Āio": "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- Saw, Yadana (6 July 2019). "PERE - High on Ingoingo". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- "Te Haa o Aotearoa - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- Ratana, Liam (29 April 2020). "New show highlights New Zealand artists and their music production journeys". Red Bull. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- Connell, Grady (20 May 2022). "Anti-Bulling ambassador Pere Wihongi's new waiata". Today FM. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- Peak positions for Pere's singles on the NZ Artist singles chart:
- For "Tōrea": "Official Top 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- "From Te Matatini to the world". Te Ao: Māori News. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- "Te Matatini Ki Te Ao - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- "Meet the cousins taking the internet by storm with their Te Reo Māori music videos". Te Karere. 1 News. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- Brookes, Emily (15 April 2020). "Anna Coddington, Stan Walker and other Kiwi artists release coronavirus lockdown charity single, Stay". Stuff. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- Ratana, Liam (21 October 2020). "VIDEO PREMIERE: Valkyrie 'Minamina'". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- "Pere Wihongi – Mahuru". Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2022.