Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea

After growing up singing with her mother and aunties, award-winning Māori vocalist Maisey Rika began performing professionally at age 13. Her first recording, 1997's E Hine was a collection of traditional Māori waiata (songs) recorded with her school choir, and she was quickly recognised as a unique talent with a stunningly beautiful voice.

Four albums on, Rika's latest release portrays the sacred stories of the nine-star cluster Matariki (aka The Pleiades), and what each star represents to Māori people. Rising in midwinter, Matariki heralds the start of a new year, and is an abbreviation of Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea (The Eyes of the Wind God). To bring the stars’ individual characteristics to life, Rika collaborated with different producers on each track, including respected NZ musician-producers Tiki Taane, Horomona Horo, Seth Haapu, Anna Coddington and Mara TK. Rika's crystal-clear voice continually soars on songs like ‘Matariki I Te Põ’ and ‘Tāwhirimātea’, while redefining gentleness itself on ‘Waiti Waitā’ and ‘Põhutukawa’. A lovely triumph.