Award-winning NZ Māori Country Music Artist, Ainslie Allen (Rongowhakaata) is pursuing her journey of connecting with her heritage, and is releasing a single entirely in te reo Māori in honour of Māori Language Week.
'Taku Māmā' is the Māori version of her single "My Mum" released in January 2019. Ainslie says "I am grateful and honoured to be working with Leon Blake with this te reo translation." 'Taku Māmā' is a touching tribute to Ainslie's Mum and tells the story of her mother raising four children alone.
"I recently had a hui with my iwi, Rongowhakaata," said Ainslie. "It was a positive, fulfilling, yet, emotional experience for me, and I'm continuing my journey and gaining knowledge of my whakapapa from my father's side. I've always been proud to say that I am tangata whenua of Aotearoa and I have studied, sung and written te reo Māori songs before, but this one is really special to me. My Mum is a Kiwi, of Irish, Liverpool, Scots, and Welsh descent, but I wanted to release this tribute for her in the language of my heart."
Ainslie continues, "Mum did everything she could for us and I want her to always know that she is appreciated. She is the heart and soul of our whānau. I think a lot of us can relate to being raised by a strong wāhine who had obstacles to overcome and only now that I'm a Mum, I realise how hard it must have been for her."
Ainslie uncovered her passion for country music at a young age and always knew she wanted to be a singer. She wrote her first song at age 8 and at 12 she entered the Country Music Awards, winning her first guitar. By 15 she was a regular on TV2's hit series, McDonald's Young Entertainers. Her first paid singing engagement was for Sir Edmond Hillary when she was 16. She sang her first National Anthems for the All Blacks and Springboks at 17. She is a graduate of Whitireia Performing Arts, WPAC Screen Acting, and the CMAA Academy of Country Music. She has performed gigs from weddings to war zones. She writes her own music and lyrics and is currently mixing her upcoming album 'Betty' with Ben Edwards at the Sitting Room.
She was raised in Titahi Bay, but currently lives in rural Pauatahanui (Parirua/Porirua) with her son Emerson-Ngariki, and chose this special place for the video of her new single 'Taku Māmā' - as an acknowledgement to the mana whenua of the region.
Ainslie shared, "this area is sacred and rich in Ngāti Toa history, I feel a strong connection to the whenua and have Ngāti Toa whānau. This land is home."
Ainslie's new single Taku Māma was made possible with funding from Te Māngai Pāho. The single was produced by Ben Edwards at the Sitting Room and the video was made with Phantomstar Pictures & Maelstrom Pictures, and will be distributed through DRM, available on all good streaming platforms on Friday, 18th of September 2020.