David and Rawinia Gordon. Rawinia said her husband pushed her to get back into music and help teach their three children.
David and Rawinia Gordon. Rawinia said her husband pushed her to get back into music and help teach their three children.
For award-winning Gisborne singer Rawinia Gordon, music making is a family affair, with her husband and children motivating her to return to her country music roots after a 15-year break.
The band, North East, is made up of friends and fellow Gisborne musicians and will make its debut this summer. Kim Parkinson speaks to Gordon about her musical journey, inspirations and where to next.
Rawinia Gordon’s fifth national title win at Entertainer of the Year was even more special because she won with two original songs.
“I decided to take a big risk at nationals and take two original songs but it paid off for me,” Gordon says.
Rawinia Gordon won Senior Country Music Entertainer of the Year at the NZ Country Music Association awards in October, adding a fifth national title to her resume. She is pictured here with her sons Te Kahure and Mikae, and husband David.
Her 12-year-old daughter Karly-Jewel Gordon also scooped the top prize at the regional competition, winning “best overall” in the junior section.
Mother and daughter mirrored each other in getting the highest points and earning a ticket to nationals.
Gordon said it was wonderful to meet up with her friend and former mentor Camille French (nee Te Nahu) at the event, where Camille was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
French is another Gisborne-born country music singer who is now based in Nashville, US where she has had success with the French Family Band.
French attended Lytton High School with Gordon and played in the same Rockquest band.
Gordon started singing as a young girl with the Whatatutu Variety Club before joining the Gisborne Country Music Club.
After a long break of around 15 years when she focused on her career as a teacher at Nga Uri a Maui and raising a family with her husband David, Gordon returned to the country music scene in 2021.
“Hubby pushed me to get my butt back into music and back to Country Music Club so that I could get our three kids into music,” she said.
That same year Karly-Jewel started singing, competing and writing songs, 7-year-old Mikae is now singing and competing, while 10-year-old Te Kahure plays the drums.
Gordon won the Gisborne regional competition in 2021 and went on to win at the senior section of the Entertainer of the Year in Taupō that year.
The event was during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the artists having to perform at an empty venue with people watching via livestream.
Gordon started singing as a young girl with the Whatatutu Variety Club before joining the Gisborne Country Music Club.
After the win, she became Karly-Jewel and Mikae’s vocal coach and David became their manager as the Gordons travelled around the country as a family to compete.
She had always written original songs but hadn’t shared them until her husband encouraged her.
“He believed when I stopped believing in myself – without him, I wouldn’t have had the courage or the strength to back myself.”
Her first songs were written for Karly-Jewel as they found it hard to find good age-appropriate songs for her.
Since then she has written and entered songs in national songwriting competitions, where feedback from the judges suggested they needed better backing music.
They knew the songs were good but her guitar playing wasn’t doing them justice. It was time to start a band, so the Gordons approached some friends and formed North East.
North East is made up of Rawinia Gordon (lead vocals), Johnny Matete (lead guitar), Arana Tamepo (rhythm guitar), Mark Foley (drummer), Waata Taukamo (bass guitar) and Missy Poihipi (vocals) and David Gordon (vocals).
“As a band we started by putting the music together for the original songs which debuted at nationals.”
One was called Stolen – written for the Potahu whānau in memory of their wife/mother, who died in a car crash. The second called Diny is about North East drummer Mark Foley and his wife Diny.
When they debut this summer they will play original music, a mix of country, blues rock and soul.
“We don’t want to be put in a box or be limited to one genre,” Gordon said.
“We’re a bunch of musicians who have nothing but love and respect for our craft.”
Their goal is to write music that is timeless and moves people emotionally, spiritually and physically.
The band is excited and can’t wait to get “out there”.
They have a Facebook page where people can hear the music and watch their progress including upcoming gig dates.
As the school year comes to an end, Gordon will be shifting her focus from her students to her band, channelling her abundant energy into making “sweet music”.
