MTV Unplugged: MAALA
12th July 2017
The Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography courtesy of Mark Carter.
There is excitement in the air tonight as fans and competition winners alike are ushered into Auckland’s Town Hall for the filming of MTV’s first ever unplugged session in New Zealand. MTV Unplugged has been running since 1989 and has featured some absolutely outstanding artists such as Madonna, Jay-Z and Paul McCartney, with the Nirvana and Alice In Chains sessions being some of the most popular as well as memorable in its twenty eight year history.
Tonight’s session features MAALA, a young New Zealand singer and song writer who has moved from strength to strength since emerging onto the music scene in 2012. We were first introduced to MAALA when he entered the NZ’s Got Talent competition under his birth name of Evan Sinton; he eventually placed third, which at the tender age of just seventeen was certainly an admirable achievement. Two EP’s later and a much heralded album by the name of Composure released mid-way through last year and it is no wonder that MAALA took home the Best Male Solo Artist title at The New Zealand Music Awards in 2016.
This evening we will see many of MAALA’s well-loved tracks stripped back and presented to us from a beautifully lit centre stage, complete with a six piece string section and grand piano. MAALA is looking particularly striking as he makes his way onto the stage, dressed simply in an ensemble of black consisting of ripped jeans and button down shirt; a beanie perched upon his shortish mop of dark hair. Despite initial technical difficulties with his in ear monitors and an obvious case of nerves during the first couple of songs, MAALA pushed through and came out the other side having taken the audience on a completely intricate journey through his soul.
The session airs in early August and I certainly don’t want to spoil the surprise by discussing the full set list, however I will say that obvious choices such as ‘Kind of Love’ and ‘Touch’ make the cut along with an astounding cover of Leisure’s ‘All Over You’. The set sees MAALA perform his songs from behind the piano as well as acoustic guitar, but it wasn’t all business as he took a moment to sing Happy Birthday (asking the audience to sing along with him) to his sister in the front row, a wonderfully genuine moment between siblings that touched the many in attendance.
When an artist is performing an unplugged session there is nothing to hide behind, so one needs to have the vocal skills to really shine and this is something that MAALA certainly has an abundance of; his authentic and visceral execution of each song a privilege to witness in real time. One thing is for sure, as the first MTV Unplugged session to be filmed here, we as New Zealanders couldn’t have hoped for a better artist to have been chosen as a representation of our abundance of musical talent in this country.
You can catch the premiere of MTV Unplugged: MAALA on MTV (Sky Channel 015) and MTV Music (Sky Channel 22) at 8.30pm, Sunday August 6th 2017.
Were you there at the Auckland Town Hall for this magnificent unplugged performance? Or have you seen MAALA perform live somewhere else before? Will you be tuning in to watch the performance? Tell us about it in the comments below!