Howie Morrison Jnr is releasing his first album next week. Photo/File
Howie Morrison Jnr has his father's name, his father's sense of humour and his father's talent.
But if you listen to his debut album, he promises you'll hear a unique sound and a "Howie Jnr" you've never heard before.
Despite being a household name of his own, through his many on-stage appearances and fronting television programmes, the 54-year-old is releasing his first album this month.
The first song off the album will be released in time for Mother's Day next weekend.
People first fell in love with the song,
Mum
, when the late Prince Tui Teka released it in the mid-1970s.
More than 40 years later, Morrison is breathing life back into the much-loved tune.
"I love the song and it hasn't been re-released since Tui recorded it and I think a lot of mums will relate to it, especially on Mother's Day," Morrison said.
The song will be part of his debut album called
Howie
that in total will feature nine tracks including two originals.
Mum
, will be released on May 12. The music video to the single will be released on May 14, Mother's Day.
The self-titled album will be released the following week on May 19.
Morrison co-wrote
Take Me Home
with his wife, Wai. It goes some way to dispelling the assumptions heaped upon entertainers.
"There is a misconception when people look at my life and think it's the high-life, that I'm travelling around the world and having a good time.
"In actual fact, it's a lot of hard work and the best thing about it is actually coming home. A lot of entertainers just want to be at home with their families."
The other original song on the debut album is called,
If Only I Could Change My Life
, which was released in 2016.
It's a song Morrison co-wrote with Kiwi entertainer Russell Harrison. It is dedicated to Morrison's late father, Sir Howard Morrison.
And while Morrison takes some inspiration from his father's music, he's adamant the debut album will have a unique sound.
"There's a lot of pressure releasing a debut album and I know a lot of people are going to be comparing me to my father.
"Hopefully people will hear the variety in my voice, something they haven't heard from me before."
Other tracks on the new album will be a chance to "add my own flavour" to more familiar big-ballad hits by singers such as Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck.
"I grew up listening to old crooners, through my dad, and that has filtered down to me. So I've got a few songs where I have used Maori lyrics and big harmonies, so they'll have a new flavour."
One of his favourite songs on the album is
Fly Me To The Moon
.
"I've always loved that song but I have topped it up a bit, I've thrown in some Maori lyrics, edited a key change to give it a different sound.
"On the new album, my mother [Lady Kuia Morrison] likes the song,
Mum
, and my wife likes
Children Go [Where I Send Thee]
, a gospel remake."
Morrison said he hoped to tour the new album if people liked the new songs.
"That's the idea but it all depends. And hopefully I'd like to work on a second album in the near future."
Morrison, who still lives in Rotorua where he was born and raised, said he was happy with the final sound of the album and was looking forward to its release.
The album will be for sale through iTunes, the Warehouse and JB Hi-Fi.
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