Tomokia

'Tomokia' is Toni Huata's fifth album and her second in the dub and electronica genre, made in collaboration with celebrated Piha musician and producer Paddy Free of Pitch Black fame.

According to Paddy, Toni Huata has always been adventurous in exploring new styles and genres of music - "which is testament to her huge vocal skills in soul, R'n'B, pop, haka … you name it, she can probably sing it!

"On the new album, she branches out into everything from dance-pop and moody, deep dub tracks through to ambient 'tone poems', strum-along ballads and feel-good reggae. If the last album was a new direction, then this one furthers that exploration along many diverse paths."

'Tomokia' represents accomplishment, completion and bravery with the concept originating from an ancestral proverb: 'E rere e te huata hopukia, e rere e te manuka tomokia'.

It refers to a young warrior - Whakaaha - who caught a huata (spear) in mid-flight and, in doing so, gifted her family with the surname, Huata.