KATIE BROWN - 12 AUG 2021

There is an inexplicable essence of reassurance and affirmation in Em Walker (Theia)’s latest waiata aroha ‘E Hine Ē’ via her reo Māori project TE KAAHU. Lullaby-like and exquisitely beautiful, the single, released Aug 3rd, features Walker’s voice soaring high above a classic Māori strum, crooning about a nurturing and protective love for the women in our lives (lyrics below video). The way her voice is layered, with a duplicate of the melody sung an octave below, almost acts as a metaphor for a protective love that lifts from below and shields from above, enriched by a spine-tingling and sublime addition of powerfully simple harmonies: the essence of life. It is remarkably beautiful and refreshing in its restrained simplicity.

Written and produced by Ōtautahi-born Walker (Waikato-Tainui, Ngaati Tiipaa) herself, ‘E Hine Ē’ follows ‘E Taku Huia Kaimanawa’ as the second single to emerge from the TE KAAHU project, which she began during 2020’s lockdown. A passionate advocate for the revitalisation of reo Māori, Walker holds a BA double majoring in Māori Indigenous studies and Te Reo Rangatira from the University of Canterbury, and is currently working on the debut TE KAAHU album alongside new Theia material. The third single ‘Rangirara’ from the upcoming album is due for release in late August.

Accompanying the single is a video equally powerful in its paralleled pared-back approach: filmed by renowned Auckland fashion photographer/videographer Frances Carter, it features Walker adorned by a hei matau pounamu (symbol of abundance, determination, strength) and holding the matakiirea kaahu - a manu rangatira (esteemed bird of high status), which is representative of the project’s namesake and a personal kaitiaki (guardian). She sings directly into the camera, and her steady gaze carries a sense of intense strength and benediction through to her viewers.

‘E Hine Ē’ in both single and video format transmits with moving clarity the depth and mana behind Walker’s work, and the upcoming TE KAAHU album will be the next step in a beautiful and empowering journey that we’re privileged to be able to experience.

Find the lyrics below the video, and follow TE KAAHU on Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

LYRICS

E hine ē

Tō rerehua nei

Ō makawe me he awa tere

Tangi ana koe

Haumārotoroto ki ō pāpāringa

Māku e tiaki

(Oh girl

How beautiful you are

With hair like a river that swiftly flows

When you cry

And tears like dew rest on your cheek

I will take care of you)

E hine ē

E kore e mimiti

Te puna aroha, koropupū ake

Pūmau tonu koe

Karekare te tai, he toka-tū-moana

Taku taupuhi

(Oh girl

The spring of my love towards you

Will never run dry, in fact it bubbles over

May you always be steadfast

In rough seas, as a rock stands in the ocean

My beloved)