R&B artist Maaka worried he had lost his love for music

Maaka filmed the music video for his new song Kei Hea at vintage store Junk & Disorderly. Photo / Supplied

By Kelvin McDonald of Whakaata Maori

“Longing for something special you thought was lost” is at the heart of te reo Māori R&B artist Maaka’s new release Kei Hea.

Maaka Fiso (Ngāti Kahungunu), simply known as Maaka, says he’d begun doubting himself and wondered if this was it - the end.

“It had been a while since I had released new work and I began questioning whether I still had anything to offer.”

The nine-time Waiata Māori Music Awards nominee felt complacent after the Covid-19 pandemic, he says, “almost to the detriment of my music”.

Maaka singing in the music video for Kei Hea. Photo / YouTube

“But now I know that in reality my love for music never changed. My doubt was just the result of a temporary state of mind after living through the unsettling times of the pandemic.”

It’s this realisation that’s led to his new waiata.

“Kei Hea is a song about longing for something special you thought was lost, when in fact, it never went anywhere, you just lost sight of it.”

He says he writes in such a way that everyone can find their own special meaning in his music.

“I try to write from a more generic point of view. That way, the listeners can take what they want from the music, and discover their own way to relate or connect to the words and music.”