Kia Puāwai
Reconnecting with Roots:
Embargo: April 3rd
Hot off the heels of a busy summer, performing at the TSB Festival of Lights and Music In Parks, Tāmaki Makaurau duo Rā Charmian have released their first music of 2026 - the uplifting single and video ‘Kia Puāwai’.
‘Kia Puāwai’ is a heartfelt, sincere message of reconnecting with Māori roots working to create a moment of magic in its easy-listening, RnB infused sound.
As vocalist Rā Toia-Booth explains, “the song came about during a time when I was reconnecting more deeply with my Māori roots and te reo Māori. I’m not fully fluent, but singing has always been one of the ways I’ve felt most connected to the language. It’s something that has been lost for many in previous generations, so writing and singing in Māori has become a meaningful way to reconnect with that part of my identity.”
Born from a simple acoustic demo of producer Hayden Booth’s, Rā was inspired to develop the song based on the phrase Kia Puāwai; which speaks of blossoming or flourishing. “As the writing developed, the song became connected to the experience of feeling lost and searching for a connection to my whakapapa, but also nurturing a new growing connection.”
Expanding their tight-knit unit for the recording of this NZ On Air funded single, Rā Charmian also bought in two of Aotearoa’s premiere musicians for the recording; Joe Kaptein on keys (Princess Chelsea, Six60) and Elijah Whyte on drums (Nathan Haines, Big Horns).
Video:
The beautiful landscapes of Northland set the scene for the music video, with viewers getting to witness some incredibly special moments of Rā visiting her marae (Takahiwai), as well as places her family lived over many generations - including Okaihau, Waimate North and the Hokianga.
“The video follows my journey of connecting the past to the present, through shared stories and knowledge,” says Rā. “Towards the end of the video, we travel to the present, following Hayden and I as Rā Charmian, performing waiata and sharing these stories around Aotearoa over the summer.”
Download Assets:
Audio, video and images are available here:
Bio:
Rā Charmian is a pop duo, fronted by Rā Toia-Booth (Ngāpuhi, Tainui) and produced by Hayden Booth. Their 2024 album WAIATA WAIRUA received widespread local support with features on RNZ, The Breeze, Air NZ, Māori TV, Juice TV and many local and Iwi stations around Aotearoa. Backed by some of Aotearoa’s finest musicians, Rā Charmian recently performed at the TSB Festival Of Lights, Music In Parks and the Titirangi Festival Of Music’s sold out Matariki Show.
Rā Toia-Booth is a performer and vocalist who performed around the world for almost 10 years before returning to Aotearoa. Since being back she’s performed across TV and radio - including being the voice for the 2023 NZ Radio Award-winning jingle ‘You’ve Sure Got A Friend In The Breeze’. Hayden Booth has been producing music and videos for many local artists for many years, including the likes of Stan Walker, Neil Finn and Marlon Williams. Hayden has won two international awards for his media production work, and has toured and performed internationally for many years.