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In the landscape of New Zealand music one genre stands out: music by Maori artists, which is a solid cornerstone, and within itself powerfully diverse.
Traditional music sung in te reo (the Maori language) has found its way onto mainstream radio as more and more indigenous singers find poetry and emotional depth in their own tongue.
One of the most distinctive, articulate and significant Maori voices is Moana Maniapoto who - first with Moana and the Moahunters and latterly as Moana & the Tribe - has taken her often politically conscious music to festivals across the world.
On her first release Wha you can really see why she is such a standout artist. The emotional depth and sad beauty of this album, as much as its hypnotic melody and groove, confirms Moana’s status as one of New Zealand’s finest artists and her career has been punctuated by numerous song writing awards (local and international) as well as taking Maori - the language and the people - to a global audience.
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