Āio is barefoot, synth rich, lyrically heavy and deep bass with silk ambience all in Māori.

Marking 10 years since her first te reo Māori release, Huia has been writing Āio E.P. for the past year, balancing life as a ʻmamaʻ and an ʻartistʻ. This is the first single from the E.P., also called Āio. This waiata is about exploring yourself and connecting to the elements around you. For Huia personally, itʻs about inner peace and self reflection, which is the core of her songwriting style.

The Āio E.P. reflects this kaupapa, with waiata that balance the 2 music worlds she lives in, that is, the space between the traditional Māori sound and the electronic vibes of the ever-evolving music consciousness of now.  

With the electro-haka beats of multi award-winning artist Rei, then the mix and mastering skills of KOG Studio Chris Chetland, Āio is emotive and beautifully produced. Thanks to the tautoko (support) of Te Māngai Paho, whose focus is on strengthening the first language of Aotearoa, this full te reo Māori E.P. flows on from her last release, ĀTA E.P. in 2016.

This is Huia’s 3rd solo release since her debut album ‘Huia’s Waiata’, as well as the award winning ʻTātou Tātou Eʻ Collective releases (V1-V5) and ʻLullabies Of The Worldʻ which hit #11 on the German charts. Huia was invited to perform the classic Aotearoa lullabye ʻHine E Hineʻ (over 40,000 streams) by the late and much missed artist and producer Ramesh Weeratunga.

If you purchase the E.P. you will be invited to her personal art page where you can download images and kōrero which were created at the same time as the E.P. You can also expect some music videos for Āio shot by Stu Fu a.k.a. Cyclops.