Marlon Williams

Marlon Williams performs his sublime Māori-language album for the first time in Australia, with The Yarra Benders and Kapa Haka group.

The Māori proverb “he waka eke noa” means “we’re all in this boat together”. But the way Marlon Williams tells it, the boat’s been becalmed, and he’s found himself alone. This wrestle with proverbial wisdom inspired ‘Aua Atu Rā’— the lovely, lilting lead single from his latest album Te Whare Tīwekaweka. Willams wrote the songs over five years, after returning from a long stint on the road to his hometown of Lyttleton on the South Island. Reconnecting with family and friends started him on a sometimes-stumbling journey to get over his whakamā (self-doubt) and go deeper into the Māori language. 

With help from fellow Māori artist/Lyttleton local KOMMI and gorgeous backing harmonies from the He Waka Kōtuia singers—the boat set its course anew. The golden-voiced songwriter with the well-cut suits has given us his first album written and performed entirely in Te Reo Māori. It’s a sublime set of songs that blends country, bluegrass and pop with traditional Māori rhythms. And, in keeping the collectivist spirit of its creation for RISING, for the first time, he’s touring with a local Kapa Haka group and his long-time backing band The Yarra Benders, who recorded the album alongside Marlon.