Riqi Harawira in the surf during the recording of his latest single E rere ai (fly away). Photo / Supplied
Riqi Harawira in the surf during the recording of his latest single E rere ai (fly away). Photo / Supplied
All I could say when I finished watching the video of Riqi Harawira’s latest single was “wow” .
E Rere Ai(Fly Away) is a soft-rock song with beautiful lyrics, switching between English and te reo Māori.
The music video is just breathtaking. Filmed on Te Mata Peak and Waimarama Beach, the waiata is about a culturally blended couple who are flying away above the noise and opinions and doing their own thing. Inspiring others to find their wings too.
Due to be released on Friday, E Rere Ai (Fly Away) is beautiful, catchy and full of love, hopes and dreams.
The song originally came from a poem written by Riqi and his partner Flossie (Carla) Drake (who appears in the video and is also co-writer of E Rere Ai) that touches on love, hopes, and dreams.
“Our song is about flying away above the noise ... to a quiet place where the voices of opinions can’t be heard,” Harawira said.
“We have learned to fly and blend our family together, which has not always been socially accepted. But we endure because we row in our waka together and love each other through the noise.
Riqi Harawira and his fiancee Flossie (Carla) Drake on Te Mata Peak during the filming of E Rere Ai (Fly Away). Photo / Supplied
“We hope our song Fly Away helps others in culturally blended relationships find their wings to fly away too.
“The lyrics are incredibly important and this waiata is dedicated to interracial couples who have the courage to embrace each other, and understand the cultural differences, racial disparities, inequities, and cultural history of violence and trauma. Despite these differences develop a respect and love for each other to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups.”
Harawira was born and raised in Auckland and is a descendant of Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa and Ngāpuhi.
He has been in Hawke’s Bay since January, working in the non-violence department at Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga where he manages and facilitates non-violence programmes for men.
His fiancee, Flossie, was born and raised in Havelock North.
Harawira started to learn the guitar when he was 10.
“I was a state ward [in foster care] and we were encouraged by our foster parents to take up a hobby,” he said.
“My father Rangi had a guitar night school at Westlake Girls’ in Auckland so one way to get to see my father every week was to take up guitar lessons.
“Our father was an international Māori entertainer. Having a father who was very musical made the transition into music natural. But when I first heard Eddie Van Halen at age 16, that is when I decided to get really serious.”
Harawira has shared the stage with some of the world’s biggest acts including Guns N’ Roses and Pearl Jam.
The former lead guitarist and co-songwriter for popular 90s grunge band Dead Flowers has collaborated with numerous Kiwi artists across his career such as Kings, Stellar*, DLT, Che Fu and Dam Native.
He describes himself as a Māori fusion artist and a guitar virtuoso who is passionate about telling stories about Aotearoa through his original music.
A multi-instrumentalist, he frequently melds te reo Māori and English with rock and grunge music.
He was a Best Māori Solo Artist nominee at the 2022 WMMA.
His advice to emerging artists wanting to release a single is to have a specialist team around them because there is a creative side to writing and developing a song and there is a business side.
“Work with a publicist who will service the song to the media and engage your audience by making creative content and post your song to TikTok, FB, Insta.
“Create an EPK [electronic press kit] which is easy for radio programmers to open and contains all your relevant assets, audio files, photos, and bio about yourself.
“Marketing involving a paid company is important if you can afford it. They will design a campaign for you based on how much budget you have.
“Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui, be strong, be bold, don’t give up easily and keep trying because through failure are the steps to success.”
