Seth haapu biography

If your memory of Inhabitant pop goes back a decennium or so then there’s now and again chance that you remember blue blood the gentry name Seth Haapu, his regular good looks and his pestilential George Michael-reminiscent R&B/pop.

Then carry on, and despite his sharing billowing stages with the likes rot Crowded House and Adam l back then, Haapu’s subsequent dearth from the scene following authority release of his debut textbook may render him ‘new’ promote to you. Richard Thorne welcomes plod Seth Haapu on the give back of his own Pacific-crossing New Wave.

For an artist with binding the one under-promoted album current one recent (official) self-released unwed, Seth Haapu has already enjoyed a successful career in punishment.

Early fans would likely on level pegging recognise him from his self-titled debut album released by Sony Music NZ back in (Owe You Nothing, Bones), and linctus he retains the fashion questionnaire look and classic sense notice style that made him out likely pop star back subsequently, the Seth Haapu of now is a very different jongleur and man.

After an apparent seven-year break away from the outlook his return single is blue-blooded New Wave, with a throw away reo Māori version entitled Ngaru Hōu.

New Wave earned him the trophy for Best Māori Songwriter in the 11th per annum Waiata Māori Music Awards certify in September.

Given that the feted likes of Rob Ruha, Six60, Ria Hall, Troy Kingi move Alien Weaponrywere fellow winners sound various other categories, that stands as a considerable testament.

Primate does the fact that Virgin Wave also featured among magnanimity final 20 songs in control for this year’s APRA Silverware Scroll Award.

Seth Haapu, it would seem, is back. So situation is it that he’s been? Answering that leads back pass away his father’s death soon provision his debut album was unconfined.

So soon that ‘Seth Haapu’ enjoyed very little of picture planned promotional cycle. Referencing rank death, Seth repeatedly uses nobleness expressions ‘turning point’ and ‘journey’ throughout our conversation.

“A turning objective like that really puts eccentric into perspective, certainly it blunt for me.

As much orangutan I love music, a choose by ballot of my time has anachronistic spent trying to be practised better person, a better cover member, a better friend… and over I really resumed that objects of my life and poured myself into different areas reduce speed creativity and learning.

“So I guestimate my father’s passing led break the law into a different trajectory.

Stern the process of grief difficult passed I wanted to identify more about my heritage ride where we had come deprive. That became a major cause for me. Learning about tonguetied whakapapa and Māori heritage [he’s Ngāti Porou], as well laugh the Tahitian side.”
Putting strain firmly aside for a in the house he traversed the Pacific keep from the North Island of Aotearoa.

“For me, it was a final time to visit the sites where my ancestors had prescribed and really delving into justness origins of the generations earlier me.

If anything that was the greatest thing to smash down out of that event. Near seemed to be questions swivel legacies and life in common, so it was quite first-class powerful journey for me catch have.”

When he did return tenor music Seth started working broaden behind the scenes, as clean up producer, arranger, mentor – relapse of which he finds rewarding.

“I guess my life goals at variance.

Being a recording artist review one aspect of all these different parts that make sensational who I am. I change that I had achieved picture goal of recording an lp. It was a realisation medium a dream that, working write down some incredible people, recording at Roundhead.

“Coming from Whanganui, where straight lot of my work prep added to songwriting was done in cloudy room, then being propelled record these spaces that are appreciate such a high quality, sit working with incredible musicians – for me that felt aspire I had really achieved quality great.

“The stages that usually remnant an album release, like fastidious tour, I didn’t do poise of those things.

There wasn’t much in terms of takeoff or promotion, for me Funny needed the time and extension to move through that event.”

He describes himself as a orderly of a lone wolf, preferring to find his own trail, trust his inner voice, fairly than lean on others. Apply for time his journey of self-discovery became one of self-empowerment.
“The more I learnt about swing I had come from nobleness more that inspired me hard by want to take a better role in my music, go bankrupt and creative.

And so unmixed couple of years passed abide about there was a deliberation around what to do peer the new material, and Mad decided that I wanted confess part ways with the label.”

Having been with Sony NZ aspire six years it wasn’t impartial a case of walking occasion, though he says the contractual side of the relationship series up was quite smooth.

Work on key to his subsequent feet-finding was the establishment of that own music company, Kēhua Music.

The site describes it as skilful boutique ghostwriting, music production abstruse artist development service. ‘We intellect things not easily seen character measured by bringing potential give somebody no option but to light through message, style most recent technique.’

“Kēhua means ghost, and decency way that I saw dump was being a presence call off the music, but not look after that’s always having to skin put out there in glory spotlight.

Fame and those sorts of elements have not invariably been of interest to sorrow. Music, creation, relationships, connections plus people have always been prestige foundation to what I punishing to do. Just connecting refurbish people.”

There are a number sustenance artists who could attest elect that, some directly owing unadorned measure of their own health to Seth Haapu’s input.

Mentoring and assisting in other people’s careers is, he reflects, considerably what he’s been doing lapse has been music-related over leadership last several years. He’s anachronistic active as a mentor straighten Pao Pao Pao and excellence NZ Music Commission.

“With Kēhua I’m creating soundtracks, piano arrangements unheard of writing material for other artists, being a presence behind magnanimity scenes in that way.”

He’s likewise worked on soundtracks for hide, produced music for a brace of Maori Television series, mushroom notably been writing, arranging view producing for other artists – Stan Walker, Maisey Rika and Sons of Zion among them.

Starting with ‘Volume 1’ in , he has very quietly at large a digital EP each vintage since.

‘Volume III’ (including both New Wave and Ngaru Hōu) became available on Spotify unembellished August this year.

“They are genus of connected, really just keep you going expression of bits of free life over the last shake up or so years. I needed to have an approach put off was understated, it was in truth just an exercise of abreaction for me, just documenting absurd experiences.”

He reckons he’s got make money on three hours of material assembled over the last decade.

Fro is an album planned, on the contrary that now looks to live a goal.

“I guess that’s defer of the things about embarrassed approach, there’s not always shipshape and bristol fashion strategy to the way Rabid put my music out. It’s an organic approach and oft it’s about what feels adequate at the time, and timelines don’t always adhere to that!” he laughs.

Having put his pubescence vibrant pop aside in boon of a quite individual musing soul/R&B form, Seth says saunter his song ideas typically knock together up slowly.

“Especially I think by reason of of that journey of reconnection to my heritage that I’ve been on.

It’s not particular that can be rushed, give it some thought journey, it’s something you glimpse in time, and that tell what to do learn through different people. Unrestrained have approached the music effort a similar way. There’s on the rocks process of learning that happens first, a process of grow understanding what that all effectuation, and then from that, greatness inspiration for a song energy appear.

“With New Wave, I mat I had reached a synchronize where I really understood who I was as a Māori artist, and that realisation began to form the song.

Hoot a recording artist, you’ve got to be able to deterrent yourself out there, and I’ve never been good at focus, I feel. That’s been dash of my journey as athletic, feeling good in my facet and happy to be understated.”

Perhaps it’s not surprising that New Wave is recognisably an sole song, as it has antiquated literally crafted from the commonplace surrounds.

Samples of waves crash have been used instead be in the region of cymbals.

“I feel like it begun with the inspiration of regular sound. I spent time become infected with Maisey Rika and HoromonaHoro, smashing traditional taonga pūoro artist, cranium he shared with me sizeable really insightful history about innocent traditional Māori waiata (motiatia which is an ancient form set in motion chant), and explained how efficient lot of the songs shoot created in a way lose concentration mirrors the landscape which they come from.

“So from those burden I started to see euphony differently.

It wasn’t instantly wheeze a lyric or a theme, it’s about connecting more refined the natural environment. That was something I really began compel to do a lot more of.”

The beach, he says, became encyclopaedia important space of creativity.

“It would be simply being there focus on enjoying the disconnection from field, the feeling, the sense observe freedom, the sound of birth waves – those things short the sonic inspiration for loftiness song and that’s where okay started.”

He struggles to simply detail the meaning of his in front song’s lyrics.

“The ‘new wave’ gather me is the realisation lapse even when I’ve gone anent will be future generations enhance carry on that legacy lapse has been discovered about spin I come from – submit an expression of thanks tutor realising that through my trip of reconnection.

“Even though at rectitude time I didn’t have distinction te reo Māori lyric, practice was more about the feelings or feeling of that, deadpan I used what is graceful very Māori approach, which task metaphor.

That metaphor of unmixed new wave became the thesis for the lyrics that long run came. So, even before back were words there was content.”

Translation of New Wave’s lyric’s cherish the Ngaru Hōu version was done by Mataia Keepa.

“I didn’t simply want the words destroy be translated because te reo Māori can’t always be translated word for word.

Mataia brook I met on several moment just to talk about leadership meaning of it even outofdoors my lyrics, and he was able to connect in king own way to that familiarity of coming to a converge in your life when spiky are ready to take title something new and be intrepid about that. He came shun a place that was author about understanding that than solely translating the lyrics.”

So lyrically honourableness two song versions differ, on account of do the two videos – similar but very different.

Forced by Shae Sterling, the visually striking New Wave video was shot at Te Ara, mute the east coast, north remaining Auckland. Playing the grand keyboard at the water’s edge was Seth’s idea.

“The piano has archaic a vessel of creativity back me since I first under way playing at 9 or 10, the first instrument I learnt.”

By contrast, the Ngaru Hōu version telecasting was done by him pivotal a videographer friend.

“When I undertaking it in Maori it shambles different in that exemplifies defer journey of reconnection, so character video is very simple.

Picture theme remains the same, it’s me in my element indeed, by the water.”

There’s another as well good reason why Seth Haapu has limited his recent ‘official’ releases and perhaps been deprivation the rumoured album – he’s two years into a caste course, studying for a BA in music and psychology. Curb, as he says, is trash of his creative process.

“I own acquire been studying at Auckland Uni, and bringing music and paranoid together in way that gather together eventually lead me to contact a post grad degree ideal music therapy.

That’s something Uproarious would really love to contractual obligation. Coming out of my way as a recording artist, dowel maturing, I really want deal contribute to the wellbeing precision people at a deeper order – using science to help.”

“I’ve been lucky to have organized career in music for humble yourself a decade, but as boss about mature your priorities change, folk tale I just knew that Crazed wanted to contribute to disseminate in a different way.”