August 11, 2022
Make it reo make it right !
Singer Jackson Owens says it’s an honour to be invited back for another volume of Waiata Anthems.
The Turangi native spent his late teens in the United States trying for boyband stardom after his covers on YouTube caught the attention of Backstreet Boys producer Timothy Coons, but these days he’s keen to go on a te reo Māori journey.
Last year he took lead vocals for Sons of Zion on a translation of its song Love On The Run, He Aroha Hinemoa.
This year it’s his own song Can’t Make it Right that gets the Waiata Anthems treatment, with help from Tawaroa Kawana of Maimoa Music.
“The track we translated is very R’n’B driven but to have the kupu in the track was something new sounding so it’s good to have people like Tawaroa in there to get the kupu right and get the vibe right. It’s cool for me and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it,” Owens says.
This year’s Waiata Anthems go up on September 5 in a special release to mark 50 years since the delivery of the Māori Language Petition to parliament.