Me with "Damn Native"
Listen to work I did lyrics for: http://www.myspace.com/jocray Song : Jewel City - Jonathan Crayford "Big Foot" album.
Some other songs I recorded are Naked Flame - Dave Dobbyn "Twist" album
Waiting - Te Kupu "Ko Te Matakahi Kupu" album
Overcome, Hold I True, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6myCReZjiYE
Ganja Wars, Sight Divine, Great Crime, E te Iwi, Whakapapa - Upper Hutt Posse "Legacy" album
Unusually Hot - Phil Toms "Storm Warning" album
Influences
Emma Paki music is unique to New Zealand.
OVERSEAS INFLUENCES ARE - Randy Crawford, Stevie Wonder, Renee Geyer, Edie Brickell, Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Joan Armatrading and people who were influenced by black americans.
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New Zealand influences are : Mahinarangi Tocker and Syd Hirini Melbourne.
Sounds Like
Newspapers have described me as being similar to Rickie Lee Jones, Tracey Chapman, Kate Bush, and Billie Holliday.
The next album will probably have twinges like Skunk Anansie, Eva Cassidy, Jack Johnson, Portishead, Bjork, Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Best Solo Artist of Year 2004 ~ Metro Magazine.
Single "Greenstone" Number 5 NZ Music Charts. Produced by Neil Finn (Crowded House - Australasian Band from NZ, Split Enz - NZ).
Gold Album sales "Oxygen of Love" 1997. Album released in Japan, New Zealand - Virgin / EMI. Produced by Mark Hart (Crowded House, Supertramp - USA).
" 'Oxygen Of Love' is quite simply ... the most beautiful album I've ever clapped ears on". --- Waikato Times Sept 1996. ---
Four Best Music Video Awards. Recently voted 8th best New Zealand music video to date.
Mana Maori Award 1997 NZ Entertainer of the Year Awards. New album in production.
http://www.karekarerecording.com
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The first song I ever wrote was about my want, need and love of Jesus, aged 10. I usually lie to media interviewers about this and say that my second or third original song > about Harriette Tubman and Bob Marley were the first penned by myself. These were tributes to revolutionary people of God.
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The fourth I put out, 1st up on my album "Oxygen Of Love", penned aged 14.
At 15, the fifth song I ever wrote was called "Music Is My Life". I got the highest School Certificate Music mark in the Whakatane district because the music teacher "Tom Bayliss" predicted what would be in the exam from the flow of previous tests, they tested more than usual on creative ability and, the Messiah by Handel toured a performance through our small town. I met a ninety something year old ex piano teacher who explained the whole thing to me, and I fell in love with the contralto voice.
I progressed on to dropping out of high school an adventurous minstrel gypsying the north island of New Zealand involved in indigenous people's rights with the Maori O+s Rights Organisation.
Ngatai Huata ran a course called Mana Wahine ie (Woman prestige) with the resulting goal being a recording called "Devolution" in the maori women music ensemble "Black Katz". George Hubbard, one of Tangata Records company directors played "Wanea Ngakau" to world acclaimed British band "Killing Joke" frontman Jaz Coleman who produced debut single "System Virtue" cleaning up at 1993 NZ Music Awards winning Best Songwriter, the song eventually voted one of 40 favourite N.Z. songs of the century.
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Tumanako and Te Aroha Paki raised me at Paroa Beach, Whakatane, Te Ika a Maui, New Zealand. The spirited hemp, stone & wood crafted catamaran – the Mataatua waka lead by my ancestor Toroa – landed here from Havaiiki Rarotonga.
Fresh off the boat the ancestors freaked out in awe and hit the streets of Kakahoroa. Meanwhile the gargantuan Mataatua waka started drifting out to sea. Toroa’s daughter and sister, Wairaka and Muriwai, spotted it and in a catch 22 – due to having to break the lore in the absence of the men – perspicuously befitted “Kia Whakatane Au I Ahau!” i.e.: With permission, I gotta do a man’s function!. They wrestled the restless waka to safety. Jee, wish I were that strong. Commands respect. From then, they named Kakahoroa, Whakatane.
Here is a statue attributed to Wairaka:
Dad rented a house belonging to Aunty Rangihoea and Uncle Pat. She sings like Bessie Smith who over the Pacific clenched her fist at KKK wearing fallen clouds that turned up at a concert telling them to back off because she has plenty of back up – referring to the all white marquee full of audience. We put on our first performance there. Us kids singing up a storm from the veranda, the rela’s. cheering throwing bouquets of “You’re a gun alright Emma. You’re a gun alright!” Maori action songs. Fortunately, we learnt how to sing Maori at school. Mum and Dad were discouraged having had it whacked out of them. Tender times tyrannical teachers. There’s a cool straightforward programme on Maori TV channel called Toku Reo i.e. My Lingo.
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Great to hear from you! Sounds great your recording some new material, looking forward to having a listen! I'll be heading back to Aotearoa soon, are you floating around Wellington?
Love and beauty of life.
