Listen Now: 
The winner of a brace of awards at this year’s Maori Music Awards says contributing to the language revival is a major motivation.
Manea’s first album Toku Ao took out the best traditional and the best urban, hip hop, or r & b album categories.
Member Amomai Pihama says what started as kapa haka acoustic jams written on guitar and recorded on iphones by four mates from Hoani Waititi was turned by producers Phil Crown and Matt Sadgrove into a polished pop album.
She’s gratified at the response it is getting from iwi radio stations who are happy to have new Maori language content to play.
"A big part of this album was us giving back to our language and our culture. We don't profess to be great musos. We don't even profess to be great vocalists. But we love to sing and we love to do it by expressing our reo and there is a unique flavour, there is a unique vibe, and that's the thing about this album so it really was a labour of love," Pihama says.
Other album winners included Pao for best pop album with Te Manu and Sons of Zion, whose Universal Love was judged best urban roots album.
Stan Walker won song of the year for the fourth time, and Rob Ruha was named Best Solo Male Artist and Best Songwriter, and his Tiki Tapu Best Song.
Best female solo artists was 40-year-old Wellington lawyer-turned singer Maika.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH AMOMAI PIHAMA CLICK ON THE LINK
http://www.waateanews.com/play_podcast?podlink=MjIxMDU=
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd
RELATED NEWS
