Aro Unveil Their Third EP 'He Wai'

Finalists for the 2019 APRA Maioha Award, Aro unveil today their new EP He Wai, the third project in a five part musical journey. Husband and wife Charles (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Mutunga) and Emily Looker sing in both te reo Māori and English on the five track collection, exploring RnB, jazz and neo-soul sounds in harmony with the thematic motivation of kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga — caring for oneself, one another and the environment. Each song on He Wai is absolutely bursting with light and warmth thanks to the Lookers' unwavering vocal talents and sparkling production, from upbeat lead single 'Tuna' to powerful closing track 'Tohorā' (whale), "a dedication to those who have been there for us when we needed them to be".

As part of their music endeavours, Aro also use their songwriting to teach, transforming each of their new releases into educational resources and language programmes for school, including Kura Kaupapa Māori. Lucky for those of us not still in school, Aro know how to put on a show, and will be touring He Wai this October. Although their September dates had to be cancelled, there's still plenty of Aro to go around...

Aro - He Wai EP Release Tour

Saturday 9th October - Divine Oasis, Russell
Friday 23rd October to Monday 25th October (Labour Weekend) - Wellington Folk Festival
Saturday 30th October - Music In The Mall, Onehunga

More tour info available over on Aro's website HERE