PRESAVE 'Hiwi-i-te-rangi' HERE
PRESAVE 'Te Waka O Rangi (Pōhutukawa)' HERE
Today Loopy Tunes (Preschool) Music released two new waiata 'Hiwa-i-te-rangi' and 'Te Waka o Rangi (Pōhutukawa)' from their new upcoming Matariki album 'Mā: Matariki for Tamariki', made with support from NZ on Air.
A 13-track assortment, the upcoming 'Mā: Matariki for Tamariki' album from the Ōtautahi-based sister duo was made for "our little ones to help them understand Matariki and grow up singing and dancing to the waiata".
Listen to 'Hiwa-i-te-rangi' HERE
"This is a gorgeous wee song about sending your wishes to Hiwa-i-te-rangi" explain the duo, the youngest whetū in the Matariki cluster. The waiata explains that your wishes may come true with an emphasis on goal setting and features a few tamariki who share their wishes for the year ahead.
Listen to "Te Waka O Rangi (Pōhutukawa)" HERE
The duo describe Te Waka O Rangi (Pōhutukawa) as a beautiful yet difficult lullaby to write, due to the discussion of death. “We decided to write about Te Waka O Rangi because we thought it was a beautiful image of how we farewell our loved ones and thought the imagery would relate well with them.” says Siu.
These waiata will be accompanied by lyric videos created by Māui Studios on March 3 via the Loopy Tunes YouTube channel.
Siu Williams-Lemi and Leah Williams-Partington make up Loopy Tunes Music. With ancestral links to the largest Māori tribe in Aotearoa, Ngāpuhi, and the friendly islands of Tonga, the sisters bring a super-fun cultural vibe to the children’s music world. They are recognised for their reorua/bilingual Māori and Pasifika children’s waiata, sung in their beautifully harmonious style.
With a growing catalogue of over 170 waiata, their album 'Mā: Matariki for Tamariki' will follow “Kahurangi: Little Treasures” – a 23-song assortment of mostly bilingual tunes that young tamariki and the young at heart will enjoy, released in October 2024.
2025 will see the duo touring the North Canterbury region through to Kaikoura in April, followed by an extra special tour to Northland in October to visit their iwi whenua, maunga and marae. Alongside touring, they are looking forward to continuing their new fortnightly YouTube series, “Music Time with Loopy Tunes”.
‘Hiwi-i-te-rangi’ and ‘Te Waka o Rangi (Pōhutukawa)’ were made possible thanks to the support of NZ on Air Tamariki funding.
'Hiwi-i-te-rangi' and 'Te Waka o Rangi (Pōhutukawa)' are out now (Feb 28) on all streaming platforms.