November 19, 2021
Te Papa launch for Māori country album
A Māori country music star has launched her new album today with a free concert at Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington.
Ainslie Allen is a seven-time Golden Guitar Awards finalist and the New Zealand Country Music Entertainer of the Year in 2018.
The album is named Betty after her grandmother who loved the music and supported her when she started going to country music competitions as a child.
Launching it at the national museum while her iwi Rongowhakaata is hosting is a dream come true.
“I’ve just got this warm feeling from them and they’ve embraced me and I feel so grateful that they tautoko the album and my talent and me, like whanaunga, it’s beautiful,” Allen says.