In The Deep End With ... Marlon Williams

Earlier this month, New Zealand/Aotearoa singer-songwriter Marlon Williams released his fourth studio album. A noted collaborator, Williams has also released four record co-written and released with artists like Delaney Davidson, Tami Neilson, and Kacy & Clayton. This new music holds particular significance to Williams, though: Te Whare Tīwekaweka is his first sung entirely in the Māori language.

Over the five years it took Williams to complete Te Whare Tīwekaweka, he enlisted musical partners from across the region (both Indigenous and not), including co-producer Mark Perkins (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui), the He Waka Kōtuia singers, pop star Lorde, and artist/poet/professor KOMMI (Kāi Tahu, Te-Āti-Awa). Musically, the album opens with the striking, a cappella “E Mawehe Ana Au” before swelling into a gorgeous blend of contemporary and traditional sounds. Williams’ voice shifts and soars throughout the 14 tracks — at times graceful and evocative of his earliest days singing in choir and at times defiant and proud.