Moana & The Tribe have released a single off their upcoming album, Ono. Listen and watch Maiea feat. Megan Henderson (Breabach) below:
Maiea (pronounced May-ear-ah) is a call for peace; an incantation in archaic Māori language to ancient deities and gods to soothe and calm a troubled mind. Moana and The Tribe's upcoming album, Ono, comprises six unique songs that celebrate te reo and raise the visibility of endangered languages through collaborations with indigenous vocalists.
The reo lyrics to Maiea were penned by Scotty Morrison, with music written by Paddy Free and Moana Maniapoto. The Gaelic language of Scotland is courtesy of Megan Henderson, lead singer and violinist for award-winning Scottish band Breabach.
Moana Maniapoto recalls of the songwriting process that “at first I couldn’t see how we might pull this collaboration off. We’d done lots with indigenous Australians but were wary of the bagpipes, didn't know much about Scotland either.” However, copious amounts of kai and kōrero helped bridge the gap. “That’s when we heard their stories of the Scottish being colonised by the English, struggling to keep their language alive – and that the bagpipes were a form of protest. Suddenly, we understood how bagpipes and haka could work together.”
Maiea is the fifth track from the upcoming album, Ono, due for release in 2023.
