Aro release new EP 'He Wai'
Husband and wife duo, Charles (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Mutunga) and Emily Looker, proudly share a passion for the power of language and music to tell stories and remind us of our cultural identity. Their moving new EP, ‘He Wai’ celebrates 5 waiata inspired and guided by our relationship to te taiao (the natural world) and what we can learn from it about ourselves and each other.
‘He Wai’ is the third major project out of five for Silver Scroll APRA Maioha Award and APRA Best Children’s Award Finalists – Aro. Each project has featured a new music release (an album or EP) and these new waiata are then used as a part of the education resources & programme created for schools & Kura Kaupapa Māori.
Aro will be using the stories of ‘He Wai’, of Aotearoa’s native sea/water creatures and the importance of caring for our environment, while making te reo Māori and whakataukī accessible and interesting for young people. Sadly due to the latest lockdowns, the band have had to postpone their nationwide tour this Spring, but when circumstances allow they will perform across Aotearoa and continue with their established education programme within schools around the country, proudly supported by the NZ Music Commission.
The bands latest EP release features Aro’s signature playful and uplifting sound, using a plethora of instruments and taonga pūoro, including guitars, strings and saxophone. A multi-genre offering of storytelling pop, RnB, electronic and jazz, fusing vocals, tāonga puoro and chants, each song also thematically explores the ideas of kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga - looking after ourselves, looking after each other and looking after our environment.
Listen to ‘He Wai’ here:
