Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival is back in February with its Whiti Season, running from February 2-11.
Seth Haapu, the brilliant Māori and Tahitian musician who is making waves with his sound of “Pacific Soul” will open the season with his Tairāwhiti debut and exclusive summer performance.
Haapu is a prolific songwriter and producer who has worked behind the scenes, both creating songs and producing for artists such as Sons of Zion, Stan Walker, Maisey Rika, and Teeks. His work extends into film and television, with a catalogue that has surpassed 40 million streams on Spotify alone.
In 2018, Haapu received the ‘Kaitito Waiata Māori Autaia’ (Best Māori Songwriter) award at the 11th annual Waiata Māori Music Awards. His collaboration with Maisey Rika earned him the 2021 APRA Maioha Award. He has shared the bill with Crowded House and supported John Legend, played WOMAD Aotearoa and Chile in 2018 and took part in the Finest of Aotearoa tours in Hawaii, Las Vegas and his ancestral home of Tahiti.
In 2023, ‘Rongoā’ from his latest album 'Whai Ora' earned him Te Tohu Manu Tioriori Tāne Autaia (Best Māori Male Solo Artist) at the Waiata Māori Music Awards and it is this album that Seth Haapu will perform at Lawson Field Theatre on February 2.
Described as a sonic journey of healing, reconnection and aroha, blending taonga pūoro with digital magic, audiences are invited to immerse themselves in a coastal cruise, where liquid velvet meets R&B rhythms.
Find Seth Haapu’s music on YouTube or Spotify, gather a crew and some tickets for a night of oranga and connection.
Tickets can be found here: https://tetairawhitiartsfestival.nz/events/seth-haapu/