Today (March 28) Loopy Tunes (Preschool) Music shared the final single ‘Feed The Stars (Hautapu)’ from their new upcoming Matariki album 'Mā: Matariki for Tamariki', out April 9.
A 13-track assortment, ‘Mā: Matariki for Tamariki’ was made with the support of NZ on Air Tamariki funding. The Ōtautahi-based sister duo, Siu and Leah, share they made the album for "our little ones to help them understand Matariki and grow up singing and dancing to the waiata".
Listen to 'Feed The Stars (Hautapu Song)' HERE
Upbeat and slightly country-esque, this waiata teaches tamariki what a Hautapu is - feeding the stars with a sacred offering, with the lyrics "Get a big pot, fill it to the top, let the steam rise, up to the sky".
‘Feed The Stars (Hautapu Song)’ follows up 'Hiwa-i-te-rangi', 'Te Waka o Rangi (Pōhutukawa)', 'I Love Huawhenua (Tupuānuku)' and 'Huarākau Is Fruit (Tupuārangi)'. These waiata are accompanied by fun lyric videos that can be found on the Loopy Tunes (Preschool) Music YouTube channel here.
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”.
‘Feed The Stars (Hautapu Song)’ and the album ‘Mā: Matariki for Tamariki’ were made possible by NZ on Air Tamariki funding.
Feed The Stars (Hautapu Song) is out now (March 28). Mā: Matariki for Tamariki is out April 9.