This tune is the Wellington muso link up you never knew you needed! Rei is excited to present to you his new banger, Wera Matao, written with Drax Project. Mixing Rei’s signature melodic rap vocals with Drax’s super pop stylings, this tune is sure to make you get your kanikani (dance) on. Releasing on New Zealand’s first ever public holiday for Matariki (June 24th), this collaboration embodies the wairua (spirit) of Aotearoa and the Māori new year.
Matariki is a time to reflect and a time to plan ahead as we carve out a new space for te reo Māori music in mainstream NZ.
Wera Matao follows Rei’s latest tune Whakapapa (which landed on Spotify’s New Music Friday’s, The Hybrid and The Drip). 2021 saw Rei release his radio hit Hoki Mai / Come Back (#2 on NZ Hot Charts) which hit #9 on the NZ Shazam charts. In Wera Matao (meaning hot and cold) Rei sings about a lover who can’t make up her mind on whether she is ready to commit to a relationship or still wants to be single. Made with tautoko from Te Māngai Pāho, Wera Matao is sure to make a big splash in the current wave of te reo music.
Rei has had a big last 12 months. Releasing an album, playing festivals such as Rolling Meadows, AUM, Kotahi, Splore and Newtown Festival, touring with Sweet Mix Kids and even opening for Netsky at his sold out arena show. He’s already kicked off 2022 with a couple of shows in the U.S., at a Coachella pre party in Palm Springs, as well as the famous Dive Motel in Nashville. Other recent accolades include being a finalist for the 2021 Mana Reo award at the AMA’s, as well as achieving a top 5 spot for the APRA Silver Scrolls with his Maisey Rika collab ‘Hiwa i te Rangi’. Wera Matao is the latest single from Rei’s upcoming full Te Reo album, due for release July 2022 with the tautoko of Te Māngai Paho and NZ on Air.
Follow Rei’s haerenga here - www.musicbyrei.com