Te Vaka is an Oceanic music group that performs original contemporary Pacific music or "South Pacific Fusion". The group was founded in 1995 by singer and songwriter Opetaia Foa'i in New Zealand. They have toured the world consistently since 1997 and have won a number of awards including "Best Pacific Music Album" award for their albums Tutuki and Olatia from the New Zealand Music Awards and "Best Pacific Group" in the 2008 Pacific Music Awards According to the BBC, they are "the world's most successful band playing original contemporary Pacific music."
History
Te Vaka is a group of musicians and dancers with origins from various Polynesian backgrounds that formed in 1997, under the leadership of award-winning songwriter, Opetaia Foa'i. That year, they released their eponymous debut album through ARC Music, a UK/European record company. The album gained immediate success and recognition, being distributed to over 80 countries. Their follow-up album, Ki Mua, was released through Warm Earth Records, and went #1 on world music charts and mainstream radio in the South Pacific. In 2002, the band released their third album, Nukukehe. The album gained the group a nomination in the New Zealand Music Awards and the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music. Their next albums entered the European World Music Charts, as well as winning numerous awards. Through their career, Te Vaka has performed extensively around the world, performing in London’s Royal Festival Hall and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, as well as headlining music festivals throughout Europe like WOMAD. They have also performed at the APEC ministerial dinners and America's Cup events in Auckland, the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the Rugby World Cup in Paris and the Olympic Games in Beijing. In 2010 and 2011, the band completed two tours in North America. That same year, Te Vaka released their seventh album, Havili. In 2015, the band was selected by Walt Disney Pictures to contribute to the soundtrack of the 2016 animated filmMoana.
Musical style
Te Vaka uses traditional musical instruments from the Pacific region like pate, pa'u, and bass drums. Most of their songs are written in Tokelauan language, reflecting the heritage of band founder, singer, and main songwriter, Opetaia Foa'i. Foa'i was born in Western Samoa, to a Tokelauan father and a Tuvaluan mother, and raised in a Tokelauan community in New Zealand. He has said that the inspiration for his music comes from his multi-cultural upbringing. However, some songs are also written in Samoan and Tuvaluan languages, which are the native tongues of most of the other band members. As a result of this mixture of sounds and diversity of influences, their music has been referred to as "a truly pan-Pacific sound".
