Children’s music duo, Leah and Siu, of Loopy Tunes Music, are excited to release four new Christmas songs for kids that will be added to their very first Loopy Tunes Christmas album - "Whero: Kirihimete|Kilisimasi".
Pōhutukawa Christmas Tree is the first of the four new releases. The waiata was welcomed into the world on Wednesday, 26 November, and is a great rock 'n roll vibing song that puts our beautiful homegrown Christmas Tree in the limelight! It celebrates the pōhutukawa's uniquely festive qualities while paying homage to its significance i te ao Māori (in the Māori world), with a reference to ‘Te Rerenga Wairua’, the leaping place of spirits, in the bridge.
The pair were able to work with producer Thom O’Connor once again, who includes an awesome electric organ accompaniment throughout! They are also excited for the animated music video that is on its way - currently under construction by animator extraordinaire, Ross Payne.
The new Christmas songs include elements of the sisters’ Māori and Tongan cultures, and they all have a uniquely Aotearoa flavour, that will be enjoyed by all tamariki/children in many different settings. They have been created with the support of funding from NZ on Air Music.
As mentioned, the four new releases will be added to a compilation of already released Loopy Tunes Christmas songs, to become their first Christmas album. The album has a fantastic mix of songs that reflect New Zealand’s cultural diversity well. Entitled, “Whero: Kirihimete|Kilisimasi” (whero being red, in Māori; with Kirihimete and Kilisimasi being Christmas in the Māori and Tongan languages, respectively), it is the second in the Loopy Tunes ‘Rainbow Collection’ of children’s music albums, following on from their debut album, “Kākāriki: Simply Us” (kākāriki meaning green, in Māori).
These Christmas songs are guaranteed to become new favourites in so many kiwi kids’ households and will be the new Christmas anthems for the coming festive season!
A quick intro to the other new releases:
Muimui Ki He Fetu’u is a sweet Tongan Christmas lullaby. It translates to ‘Follow The Star’ and is the duo’s first original full Tongan language song, collaboratively penned by Siu and their mother. The lullaby is sung by Leah’s eldest daughter, Olive, and Siu’s youngest child, ‘Ilaisaane. The girls’ gorgeous vocals are beautifully captured in this song, accompanied by the lovely harmony of their mothers. The guitar work of Toa Siulangapo is effortlessly stunning and complements the soft harmonic tones of the song superbly.
Christmas Dance is an upbeat and super catchy song that will absolutely have all children and adults alike on their dancing feet! This fun song encourages everybody to try out four different dance moves inspired by the different Christmas characters in the song, including a donkey. Giggles will be shared when they try to figure out how to dance like a Christmas tree?! Haha!
This song was also produced by Thom O’Connor, who had a lot of fun putting this one together!We Jingle is a simple jingle bell song that is perfect for use in preschool music sessions. It assists in the development of children motor skills through interactive movement with real jingle bells! It will be a total hit in preschools everywhere with its jazzy Christmas beat!
Song Release Dates:
Wed, 26 Oct - Pōhutukawa Christmas Tree (hit the link to have a listen on your favourite streaming platform)
Wed, 2 Nov - Muimui Ki He Fetu'u
Wed, 9 Nov - Christmas Dance
Wed, 16 Nov - We Jingle
Fri, 18 Nov – “Whero: Kirihimete|Kilisimasi” album