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Just in time for summer, popular seven-piece roots-reggae band Corrella have today released their new single ‘Skankin’.
Following on from their NZ Music Chart success (NZ Music Singles, Te Reo Māori Singles), ‘Skankin’ is another exciting feel-good modern roots reggae song from this talented up-and-coming band - and a must for every Aotearoa playlist!
With two band members currently in Te Taua Moana, the Royal New Zealand Navy, and two being former Navy members - it won’t come as too much of a surprise to learn that ‘Skankin’ was written in the middle of the ocean somewhere between the Philippines and Australia.
“It was written in the middle of the night while I was having a ‘miss-home’ moment and a ‘want to get back to the band’ moment,” Te Naawe Tupe (Ngāi Tūhoe) - rhythm guitarist and hype man. “The song explains the ‘why’ for us as a band, why we do this, which is to make people move to our music, vibe with us, and to connect with the stories we tell and who we are as individuals, as well as a team. It’s also for our wider Corrella whānau, everyone who has supported us in the past and who will be with us in the future.”
Recorded at Parachute studios, produced by Jimmy Colbert, mixed by Christian Tjandrawinata and mastered by Vivek Gabriel, ‘Skankin’ is the start of the band releasing music from their upcoming 2023 album. “The quality of music is lifting with us as a band and is showcased in these new tracks - including ‘Skankin’ - which is a reflection of who we are as a band, where we started, and where we want to go - the ‘One Love’ stage.”
Corrella formed in 2017 and was named after Corrella Road in Belmont, on Auckland’s North Shore. The group is made up of Te Naawe Tupe (Ngāi Tūhoe) - rhythm guitarist and hype man, Pipiwharauroa Campbell (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti He, Ngāti Pukenga) - lead singer, Codi Wehi-Ngati (Ngāti Maniapoto) - bass guitarist, Rebekah Brady (Te Arawa, Nga puhi) - lead vocalist, Taula Schuster (Samoa, Niue) - piano and keyboard, “Ulu” Tom Scrase – drummer and proud Wellingtonian who creates and play’s Taonga Puōro, and Joshua Faletutulu- lead guitarist.
They released their debut single ‘Summertime in Aotearoa’ in late 2020, which quickly made it onto the NZ Music charts at #14. The single was inspired by the group's unique Aotearoa summer experiences, like “sunshine kissing the water and Pohutukawa blooming to let divers know it’s time to collect Kaimoana.” Corrella went on to release their debut 5-track self-titled EP in 2021, with an impressive three tracks off the EP making it onto the NZ Music Charts. 2021 also saw them receive NZOA funding, which treated the world to 4 more Corrella hit singles across 2021-2022 - ‘Local Stranger’, inspired by the global pandemic; ‘We On’, a feel-good upbeat song; ‘Raumati’, the group’s first full Te Reo Māori Waiata, which featured in Waiata Anthems 2022 and was #4 on the Te Reo Māori Singles Music Chart. Corrella is an exciting Aotearoa band who have much more music and shows in the pipeline, so make sure you’re following!