Waiata / Anthems

Waiata / Anthems is compilation album by New Zealand artists, whereby they re-record previous songs from English to Māori language. It was released in New Zealand 6 September 2019 and it debuted at number 1 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.[2]

Waiata / Anthems
Compilation album by
various artists
Released6 September 2019
Recorded2019
GenrePop, Pop rock[1]
Length40:41[1]
LabelUniversal Music New Zealand

Singer and songwriter, and project coordinator, Hinewehi Mohi said, "These tracks are well known to people so that they can connect the English words they know to the Māori translation and feel like they're accessing Te Reo Māori through something familiar."[2]

Translations from English to Māori language was completed by Tīmoti Kāretu, Jeremy Tātere MacLeod and Tama Waipara, and are credited, accordingly in the song credits below.

Background and release

In 1999, singer and songwriter Hinewehi Mohi stood in front of 70,000 people at a 1999 Rugby World Cup pool stage match in Twickenham and sang the New Zealand national anthem in Te Reo Māori language instead of English. The feedback was overwhelmingly negative, and Mohi was forced to defend herself.[3] This proved to be a turning point, sparking a national conversation about cultural identity and the first language of New Zealand. Today, New Zealanders all over the country proudly sing the national anthem in both English and Te Reo Māori.[4]

20 years on, Mohi decided to mark that anniversary and 11 of New Zealand's best-loved artists performing their hit songs in Te Reo Māori, as well as the national anthem "Aotearoa / God Defend New Zealand" by Hātea Kapa Haka. Mohi said, "It was initially meant to be a bilingual album, but the artists said to me 'I want to do it all in Māori' [and] only one is a fluent speaker, so for most of them this was their first real opportunity to sing in Māori." Mohi worked directly with artists in the studio to guide their intonation and understanding of the new Māori lyrics, with translations assisted by Sir Tīmoti Kāretu.[4]

Bic Runga enthused about the experience re-recording her classic "Sway" saying, "[it's] something I've always wanted to try but I was at a loss to know where to start. Having Hinewehi Mohi guide me through this process so generously has been really wonderful. I had to record the vocal well over 50 times to get it even close to right, but to finally sing in my own native tongue has been a really moving experience." Runga added it is "a really meaningful project to me."[5]

The album was recorded over 10 weeks in 2019 and released to coincide with te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week).[2][4] The album artwork was by Kauri Hawkins and represents the 'manu' or songbird and how music can be used to tell stories and to share Te Reo Māori. The manu figure can be seen as a face and has references to te reo Māori the 'native tongue'.[2]

Continuation

Due to the success of the project, by 2021 Waiata / Anthems was expanded to become Waiata Anthems Week, an annual release of music in Te Reo Māori scheduled for release just prior to te Wiki o te Reo Māori.[6] In 2021, 30 musicians participated in the project, which was compiled into a playlist instead of a traditional album.[7] This included musicians such as Six60, Hollie Smith, Tomorrow People.[7] Some musicians opted to release multiple songs as a part of the project, including Lorde's Te Ao Mārama, an extended play featuring five compositions from her third studio album Solar Power (2021),[8] and Stan Walker, who released an entire Māori language album, Te Arohanui.[9]

In the first week of September, Six60's composition "Pepeha" debuted at number two on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.[10]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Aotearoa / God Defend New Zealand" (by Hātea Kapa Haka)
  • Simon Gooding
1:12
2."Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō / Don't Forget Your Roots" (by Six60)
  • Marlon Gerbes
  • Matiu Walters
3:48
3."Tēnā Rā Koe / Thank You" (by Stan Walker)
3:57
4."Kua Kore He Kupu / Soaked" (by Benee)
  • Fountain
  • Soskov
3:59
5."I Moeroa / Woke Up Late" (by Drax Project)
  • Devin Abrams
  • Shaan Singh
  • Matt Beachen
  • Ben O'Leary
  • Sam Thomson
  • Kāretu
  • Jeremy Tātere MacLeod
  • Shaan Singh
3:04
6."Ngā Kano / In Colour" (by Shapeshifter)
  • Abrams
  • Nicholas Robinson
  • Paora Apera
  • Samuel Trevethick
  • Kāretu
  • Greg Haver
3:56
7."Kei Aro Atu Koe / Don't Worry 'bout It" (Kings)
3:38
8."Kei Tōku Ngākau Nei Koe / Always on My Mind" (by Tiki Taane)
  • Tiki Taane
2:55
9."Pōtere Ana / Drift Away" (by Sons of Zion)
  • Matt Sadgrove
  • Kāretu
  • Matt Sadgrove
2:59
10."Haere Mai Rā / Sway" (by Bic Runga)
  • Kody Nielson
4:44
11."E Kore Rawa E Wehe / Never Be Apart" (by Teeks)
  • Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi
  • Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi
3:19
12."Roimata / Cry Myself to Sleep" (by Tami Neilson)
  • Tami Neilson
  • Kāretu
  • Tama Waipara
  • Tami Neilson
2:55

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2019) Peak
position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (2019) Position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] 25
New Zealand Artist (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 6
Chart (2020) Position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] 45
New Zealand Artist (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 10

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[16] Platinum 15,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. "Waiata / Anthems at AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  2. "Waiata Anthems Debuts at 1". Creative NZ. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  3. "How history-maker Hinewehi Mohi helped Kiwi artists face 'hardest gig ever'". New Zealand Herald. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  4. "Waiata / Anthems out in September". Shane the Gamer. August 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  5. "Waiata / Anthems Collection Announced". Under the Radar. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  6. Tyson, Jessica (30 August 2021). "New 2021 Waiata Anthems project launches next week". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  7. Holland, Zoe (3 September 2021). "Waiata Anthems: 30 artists join forces to celebrate a bilingual music industry". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  8. McConnell, Glenn (9 September 2021). "Lorde releases debut te reo Māori album". Stuff. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  9. McConnell, Glenn (4 September 2021). "Six60, Stan Walker, Anna Coddington and many others release new music in te reo". Stuff. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  10. "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  11. "Charts.nz – Various – Waiata / Anthems". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  12. "The 40 best-selling and most-streamed albums in New Zealand in 2019". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  13. "The 20 best-selling and most-streamed New Zealand albums". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  14. "The 40 best-selling and most-streamed albums in New Zealand in 2020". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  15. "The 20 best-selling and most-streamed New Zealand albums". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  16. "New Zealand album certifications – Various Artist – Waiata / Anthems". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
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