EM-HALEY WALKER of THEIA & TE KAAHU: Here To Stay
An interview by Tim Gruar.
Em-Haley Walker (Ngāti Tīpā, Waikato-Tainui) is a wāhine with multiple tuakiri. As Theia, they are an alt-pop artist, inspired by one of the twelve Titans, the children of the earth goddess Gaia and the sky god Uranus in Greek mythology. And then, there’s her award winning and much respected project Te Kaahu, a direct connection to her own Māori whakapapa, language and culture is paramount. It’s a stark differentiator from her stadium and festival alt-pop project Theia. She’s also kaiako, a teacher and practitioner, of te reo Māori and tikanga.
Fresh from playing ‘Camp A Low Hum’, in Wainuiomata, I caught up with Walker for a chat about their work and what they’ll bring to WOMAD 2024.
“I’m back in Wellington. I literally just ran to the car to talk to you from a fitting for my next music video. So, it’s all go! Such a good time. I’ve extended my Fellowship Residency at Massey University in Wellington from December – January into early February. I’ve been making new music in the wharenui here. And I just got back. On Friday night I performed with the Theia Set. It was so awesome! On Saturday morning, I performed a Te Kaahu set. The best of both worlds. It’s really special and an honour to share both projects – which is what I’ll also be doing at WOMAD this year.”
Walker was recently in the States and Canada recently. “I was very lucky to get over there. I was there in May last year (to do some shows). I’m heading back in March to Miami Beach for PRIDE, then Seattle (for Belltown Bloom Festival) and West Hollywood PRIDE, as well. And I’m looking forward to being in Vancouver (for Babes On Babes – Queer Long Weekend Festival) for the first time this year.”
I ask how the North American audiences received her Te Kaahu show. “It was so fab,” she says. “I played Te Kaahu at two Canadian folk festivals. (Calgary Folk Festival and ‘Folk On The Rocks’, Yellowknife, North West Territories, Yukon). It was amazing. Really diverse line-ups, with a lot of indigenous Canadian and American acts, as well. I slotted in quite well there. They looked after me and all the indigenous acts because there’s an appreciation for all that culture. And some understanding. They want to know about you.”
As mentioned, it’ll be both the Theia and Te Kaahu sets that Walker will be bringing to WOMAD this year. “Te Kaahu set will be very special because I’m playing with drums for the first time since my album debut shows, for ‘Te Kaahu O Rangi’. It’s going to be a full band. And then for Theia, I’m doing a really cool electronic party set with my gorgeous DJ Kylie (aka ‘Monoga.my’). It’s going to be two completely different vibes. Warm and organic for Te Kaahu and really nostalgic. And Theia’s extremely fierce, high energy tackling all the heavy issues. But it’s a late-night set on the final evening. So, definitely a party! And that vibe – the Theia vibe is definitely a rainbow vibe, too!”
And on the Friday, she’s cooking at the ‘Taste The World’ tent. “Yeah, creamed paua and frybread. So good!”.
Walker first created a buzz with the song ‘Silver Second’ (2015), released under the-moniker ‘Plum’. Then the Josh Fountain-produced single ‘Roam’ (2016) appeared under the new name, ‘Theia’, creating even more attention and spawning a self-titled EP. The music of Theia blended a palate of electronica and RnB. This is music they self-describe as ‘fierce, unapologetic.’ Theia’s sound has been described by reviewers and critics as ethereal and political. It also contains elements of high art glitter-pop and is eminently danceable. It’s perfect for a festival like WOMAD.
I ask about the name ‘Theia’, who was titaness in Greek mythology. What was the attraction?
“When I was looking for a name, in the early days, that encompassed my music – which is always a play between dark and light. I learned about Theia being the Goddess of the Sun and the Moon shining, I thought that was absolutely perfect!. I do like to play with a little bit of dark and ominous and sweetness, as well.”
And given the rise of Feminist consciousness over the last few years, how does she see that playing out in the music industry and in the bigger picture?
“I’ve always written about what I see around me. Anything that makes me angry or uncomfortable are inspiration for me. A lot of my songs, especially the ‘99% Angel’ e.p, were literally a commentary of the music industry. Things that really angered me. I come from a queer-Māori perspective. But I feel I fit in quite comfortably. I feel I can always write honestly about things. What I’m trying to say, is that when you exist not only as a wāhine but also as a Māori and as queer then everything is going to be political because just writing it and releasing it from your perspective is a political act. I write music that is all about challenging the system. And if people love it that’s great. And if they don’t that’s good too. I’m happy to be contentious [laughs]. Anything but boring!
I was reading back and found a quote made to Billboard Magazine in 2020 following the release of the e.p and song ‘Not Your Pop Princess’: “We are living in a time when young and powerful icons — such as New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Greta Thunberg — are effecting major change on a world scale.”
Theia says that the song ‘Celebrity’ (also from the same e.p) is “for anyone who’s ever been told to sit down, shut up and toe the line. It’s uplifting, empowering and there’s a sting in the tail.”
Given all that, I wondered how Walker feels now, especially with icons like Taylor Swift who seem to crowbar themselves into every aspect of our lives these days. She’s made headline news with appearances at The Superbowl, her Politics, being the ire of Trump, and of course featuring on stage in Aussie with her Eras tour. But she’s not a corporate stooge. She’s not sitting down and behaving.
“Whenever women are out there challenging the system, the Man, all the powers that be – it’s absolutely awesome! Especially when they have a huge machine behind them. In Taylor Swift’s case, I’m so proud and impressed with her independence and strength regarding recording all of her previous albums and taking back her material. That’s incredibly cool. She doesn’t have to do that. She doesn’t need the money. It’s a statement from her – taking her power back.”
Under the Theia Moniker, there’s been new music coming out – like last year’s ‘Dollhouse’, ‘Girls’ and ‘Crucified By U’. “Yes. Some last year. But more soon…“ she teases, “and always fierce and feisty. I’m going to be debuting some new stuff at the live shows that are coming up.”
Walker’s significant other project is ‘Te Kaahu’, which came about during lockdown, when based in Tāmaki Makaurau. The pandemic forced all touring to stop and an opportunity to sit down and start composing again – this time in te reo Māori. It’s something they’d always done, I’m told, even prior to making music as as Theia.
Inspiration this time wasn’t gender politics, celebrities, media-clash or toxic love but their late great grandmother, Mite Te Aho Karaka Kukutai – a renowned composer for her iwi. It was a way for Walker to connect with her whakapapa and not just through her music.
She has quite a backstory. Mite Te Aho Karaka Kukutai, I learn, was a lady-in-waiting for the Māori queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu. In her role, Mite travelled around the Pacific and was called upon to perform the song ‘Kiwi Weka’ written in te reo Māori in the 1940s. It’s about the 45,000 US troops that came here before they left to fight through the Pacific to Japan during World War II and the fleeting but impactful relationships they had with many Māori wāhine.
As a result of those encounters a number of wāhine from Nanny Mite’s iwi Tainui-Waikato became pregnant. Through her waiata she tells their stories of that time, what happened and express her own stance against warfare.
Before her music career, Walker completed a double degree, majoring in te reo Māori and indigenous studies. She also did a stint as Māori language tutor at a primary school. Her enthusiasm for the Māori world came from growing up with her Nanny Rangirara Robinson née Kukutai, who spoke the traditional tribal Waikato dialect or “mita”. “Her portrait is in the Waikato Museum. She’s an absolute inspiration to me! I dedicate a lot of Te Kaahu and my mahi to her. Whakapapa, pepeha, korero all inform my work. I’ve been gifted memoirs from my great grandmother, and videos and resound recordings and I’ve recorded her in my song ‘Waikato’. I’ve included some verbatim quotes from various important individuals all referencing our awa, our iwi’s namesake. I’ve always said that if our river, our awa is well, then so too, are our people.”
She says she spent plenty of hours sitting with her kuia, on the banks of our awa, the Waikato, and at her marae. “My kuia always spoke reo Māori around me and taught me the old ways, too.”
It was those tupuna wāhine that guided Walker’s writing and ultimately inspired the songs, written in that specific Waikato dialect, that appear on the debut album ‘Te Kaahu O Rangi’. The ancestors were always by her side, started with regular visits from kaahu, New Zealand’s native hawk.
“That’s why I named the project Te Kaahu, because when my kuia passed, I would just see more and more of them and had some really lovely encounters. One day we pulled up to a particular spot by the Waikato. And there she was. You don’t usually see them when they are at rest. There was one just literally right there and we made eye contact for a good amount of time. Maybe 30 seconds and then she flew away. There was connection for sure. Beautiful moments like that are always extremely special.”
Another time, whilst filming the video ‘Rangirara’, about her unending love and respect for her grandmother, near the Waikato. Local korero talk of a fierce female taniwha, called Waiwaia who travels along the Waikato and the Waipā Rivers. She usually appears as a log travelling upstream against the current, often with a twig showing. “We saw her, I think. During the shoot. Definitely a tohu, an omen. She appeared. Just like Te Kaahu, letting me know they (tupuna) are always with us, keeping an eye out.”
And will there be more music for the Te Kaahu project? “Oh yes, already got them in ‘the bank’. Recorded and ready to go. New waiata. There’s always something you want to process or write about. Plenty to keep going on the project. That’s what I’ve been doing here as my residency at Massey (University). We’ve got recording gear, a producer and an engineer. There’s studio time, mixing, mastering, production. All costly. All the things that you can’t necessarily get easily. I loved working here, at Massey and with their Kaimahi and the opportunity to do things I can’t do like this, as an indie artist, with all their resources. So much harder for me to do that if it was by myself.”
We can’t leave without discussing the current political climate. Is the korero around re-writing the principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi or replacing te reo Māori names for government or any of the other recent suggestions of the recent government policies somewhat unnecessarily and divisive? With te reo, there’s momentum now. There are more people are speaking it. There are more applying the Treaty principles in their daily mahi. There are more people observing tikanga in their everyday interactions. We can’t stop, surely? Aren’t we going in the right direction?
“Well, I can say my answer is in my new music. I’m so proud, with my reo and my culture. And any and every opportunity to promote it – I’m taking it. I feel I should pull no punches. These people (who challenge us) better believe we’re rangatira Māori and we are here to stay! We are very firm in our culture, our mana and our whakapapa!”
Looking forward to March Walker says that: “I’m super excited to get back to New Plymouth. The last time was for October’s Re-Imagine Festival, and I absolutely adored it. So much joy and love. I can’t wait to do WOMAD. It’s going to be amazing! And with acts like Halfqueen along, too, we’re bringing some ‘Pride’. We’re here and we’re queer!”
Damn straight!
Te Kaahu plays WOMAD at 3.30PM, Saturday 16th March on the Brooklands Stage. Theia plays WOMAD at 10.00PM, Sunday 17th March on the Dell Stage. Tickets are still available for WOMAD 2024 via Ticketspace, but get in quick as they’re selling FAST!
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