Ōtautahi-based duo Loopy Tunes have released a new album celebrating Matariki, New Zealand’s Māori New Year.
Sisters Siu Williams-Lemi and Leah Williams-Partington, of Tongan heritage, have unveiled Mā: Matariki for Tamariki, featuring 13 original waiata entirely in te reo Māori. Each song honours a star in the Matariki cluster.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind last year putting this together… it has been a dream of ours for a long time,” Siu said.
The pair began creating music over a decade ago through a preschool class at their church. Their bilingual approach quickly gained popularity across Christchurch.
“Music has always been a part of our lives. We grew up in the Tongan church, where singing and harmonies were always around us. Music was just a massive part of our childhood,” Siu said.
The sisters aim to encourage indigenous language learning and cultural pride among tamariki. Their previous work includes the Pasifika Beatz series, featuring songs in various Pacific languages.
“We didn’t grow up with Matariki, so creating something for kids to grow up with that is like how people do with Christmas songs – you know, it’s Christmas time, let’s get the Christmas album out. But for this, it’s Matariki – let’s get the Matariki album out,” Siu said.
The album was produced with support from NZ On Air’s New Music Kids fund. Loopy Tunes plan to tour North Canterbury and Northland later this year.
