Aotearoa’s emerging hip-hop/RnB talent release powerful debut albums
TW: This article deals with the topic of suicide and mental health.
Music heals. Whether we’re listening to it or making it, music embraces us at our most vulnerable, and our most joyous. It uplifts, unites, motivates and provides an outlet to share and analyse our thoughts, feelings and stories. As I write this, I reflect on the countless times music has literally saved my life.
I’m always inspired by young people harnessing music to share their unique perspectives on life. So I am excited to introduce you to the young artists who are creating a niche for conscious Hip Hop & RnB music in Whitianga: Chance Taiaroa Wiari Haddon aka ‘C33Y’ (Ngāti Ruanui) and Te Paea Puha aka ‘Te Paea Seasons’ (Ngāti Te Rangi).
The debut albums Find Your Way by Chance and Seasons by Te Paea are the epitome of music as a means to navigate the human experience.
Both former Mercury Bay Area School students, the pair have been working on their albums for the last two years, under the mentorship of award winning Māori Hip Hop artist, Tipene. They collaborated on tracks for each album, and have been performing together regularly, drawing strength from each other’s creative talent.
Te Paea, originally from Tauranga Moana, was raised in Whitianga. Her broad musical style ranges from afro pop and acoustic RnB to rapping socially conscious messages over modern trap beats. The last year has tested her resilience and made her even more determined to release her debut album. In March, her sister Mina took her life after years of struggling with mental distress, and in November her father passed away after illness. Her music has been a source of solace, resulting in the album track she’s most proud of. “‘If Only I Knew’ is the song I connect the most to. It was made for my sister Mina who passed away this year. Writing this song helped me navigate my grief and enabled me to channel all my sadness into something beautiful.”
Te Paea currently works at Evolution Fitness in Whitianga, as a kickboxing and jiu jitsu instructor, but with the passing of Mina her career path has changed. After Mina’s death, Te Paea held a fundraiser on Givealittle which raised $6,688 for the I Am Hope Foundation, plus another $3k through a raffle. When Gumboot Friday/I Am Hope founder Mike King visited Whitianga in October, Te Paea reached out to him with her story, and within minutes Mike offered her a job as a Hope Ambassador, a mental health advocate for tāmariki and rangatahi across New Zealand.
Chance, originally from Whanganui, was also raised in Whitianga. He’s been writing music since he was 16, building on the poetry he wrote when he was younger. He has an old school soul to his writing coupled with a new skool flow that speaks to his life experiences. When the pandemic hit and New Zealand went into lockdown for several months, Chance participated in the Creative Mercury Bay ‘Bubble Bites’ project, where local artists filmed performances of their music in their ‘bubbles’ which were shared on YouTube. Since then his approach to music creation has evolved, “I feel as though my passion is the same, but as time has passed my writing and belief have grown for my music and myself.”
He recently became a father, which has had a profound impact on his life and music. “Becoming a father has been a blessing, but being a voice as a young Māori father to other young Māori fathers is beautiful … In my song ‘Son’, I talk about all the emotions, tribulations and blessings that come with becoming a young father, and I want to use this song to acknowledge other young fathers out there to say, ‘I know how you feel my bro’.”
While he enjoys his day job as a plasterer, music is his ultimate passion and looking ahead he sees himself more deeply rooted in his music creation, touring and “making music for my people.”
Q & A
How does music support your mental health and wellbeing?
Chance: “Music has been a blessing to me. It’s helped me through tough times in my life, and it’s been there when I needed to vent or express myself in the form of writing or poetry. It helped get things off my chest, share a message that’s important for people to hear, step out of comfort zones, push boundaries with performing and experiment with writing and recording.”
Te Paea: “Songwriting enables me to contextualise my thoughts and emotions and being able to put a melody to it helps with my creativity. As a whole I also feel a sense of freedom being able to create a song, especially when I’m not feeling the best mentally, it always makes me feel calmer and better about my situation.”
How do you feel about putting your album out into the world?
Chance: “I can’t wait! I’ve put a lot into making this album and I’m not expecting anything of it but I just want people to listen to it and take in the stories and the emotion in this piece of art. I’m proud of this project, my first project and I can’t wait for it to be out so I can start pushing out more music.”
Te Paea: “I am nervous and excited at the same time! I feel that this album is an extension of myself and putting it out into the world is a little bit daunting for me. But I have learnt from speaking to other artists that the biggest gift from sharing your music is what it can do for others, and if I can make someone smile or help someone through tough times, then it makes it all worth it.”
For the readers and listeners …
Chance: “If you love something, never give up on it. I hope you enjoy Find Your Way. I want to say thank you to all of my Poutama family, my whānau and everyone who supports me and my music.”
Te Paea: “My album is dedicated to my sister Mina Erana Puha who took her life at the age of 21. If you or somebody you know are going through tough times, be kind; be kind to yourself, be kind to others and spend as much time as you can with the ones you love.”
Follow them on Instagram for Find Your Way and Seasons streaming info.
Chance: @channc33y
Te Paea: @te_paea_
Poutama Music Studio: @poutamamusicstudio
*If you or someone you know needs mental health help & support, visit: https://mentalhealth.org.nz/helplines. If you/someone are in immediate danger, call 111.
Words by Anusha Bhana
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