At last week’s New Zealand Music Awards, Maisey Rika took home “Best Maori Album” for “Whitiora” – congrats Maisey! – and we were stoked to check out all the nominees in the category.
The category celebrates Aotearoa (New Zealand) artists and music that express and reflect Maori culture. Eligible albums for the category don’t have to be in Te Reo, but all three nominated albums this year were, which is rad!
Winner Maisey Rika is a soul/acoustic vocalist who has recorded in both English and Te Reo, and her fellow nominated artists were jazz/funk artist Kirsten Te Rito and blues/ jazz/soul singer Ngatapa Black.
Take in the sweet sounds of Rika, Te Rito and Black here:
