May 22, 2023
Waiata affirms Māori identity
Corrella lead singer Pīpīwharauroa Campbell says writing the song Ko Au helped him through an identity crisis about being Māori.
Ko Au has been released as part of the Waiata Anthems New Zealand Music Month drop.
Campbell says part of his embracing Māoritanga was letting go of fear – or as he sings, in the lyric, patua te taniwha.
He says the song seemed a great fit for Waiata Anthems.
“I just think it’s a wicked kaupapa. Everyone I’ve dealt with on this kaupapa, it seems they’re on the same wavelength. My personal thing is around normalising te reo Maori and normalising te ao Maori so other people don’t feel ashamed to be Maori so it aligns really nicely with my values,” Campbell says.