| The NZ Top 40 Number 1 album Waiata Anthems is being reimagined live at The Civic this September for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2020 – Māori Language Week. One year on from the iconic album release, Annie Crummer, Bic Runga, Drax Project, Che Fu, Hollie Smith, Don McGlashan, Katchafire, Melodownz and Stan Walker are just some of Aotearoa’s most loved artists set to perform their songs in Te Reo Māori for Waiata Anthems Live September 17 at The Civic in Auckland, in partnership with Auckland Live and the support of Te Māngai Pāho and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. The artists will be performing their waiata in celebration of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2020 and it promises to be a very special event. 100% of proceeds from the show will be donated to the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre who provide music therapy services to help people with disabilities. Bic Runga says of the inaugural event; “I’m so excited to be part of the first ever Waiata Anthems show, it will be a great chance to share the beautiful Civic stage with so many fellow musicians for the first time live on our shared te reo Māori musical journeys.” Waiata Anthems album project manager Hinewehi Mohi agrees; “This music has unlocked massive potential for the way we might perceive, create, produce and consume music in Aotearoa. It’s shown how powerful music is as a way to popularise, normalise and revitalise te reo Māori and that we have the capacity to wow the world through waiata.” In 2019 Waiata Anthems debuted at #1 in the NZ Top 40 chart – the first 100% Reo Māori album to do so – achieved Gold status record sales, spent 16 weeks in the NZ Top 40 chart and received three Māori Language Awards including the Supreme Award. Many of the songs featured at Waiata Anthems Live will be recorded as part of a documentary series screening on TVNZ OnDemand next year. Tickets to this very special event go on sale 9am Tuesday August 4th with more acts to be announced in the coming weeks. |
