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A Maori immersion album released to iTunes
has aspirations to top the charts,
with all the band members of Manea being kapa haka performers
from prestigious groups of the nation.
A new Maori album released today.
Testing new grounds in the hopes of grabbing the hearts of the world.
My gut is telling me
that most Maori will like this CD.
That's what I'm hoping.
And it's kapa haka that's brought them together.
From Nga Tumanako
and Whangara-mai-tawhiti.
That world has a different
singing persona and stance on how to express
within the realm of drama.
From teaching,
to learning kapa haka,
from when we were children to now.
Paying homage to Maori culture,
the language and the marae of Hoani Waititi.
We grew up in kohanga reo,
kura kaupapa and wharekura,
and we're still living in a Maori world,
passionate about our language.
We're only five in a pool of hundreds,
in thousands even,
of talented people in this country.
So for me, with this CD,
I wanted to exemplify the talents of kapa haka used in this CD.
The songs are online now.
On iTunes, Amplifier
for those of who have alternative song sources.
And these CD's have begun to spread to the shops of the country,
so they'll be on shelves by next week.
And in their own words,
what's better than chasing the sun.
Pere Wihongi, Te Karere.