Lorde's Te Ao Mārama 'resonating globally', Māori translator says

September 16, 2021

Mereraihi, who translated three of the EP's songs, says she’s “so happy” to hear te reo Māori making waves worldwide.

Te Ao Mārama, Lorde's te reo translation of her album Solar Power, was released last week and is taking the world by storm. 

Māori translator Hana Mereraiha was vital in making that happen and translated three of the songs on the EP. 

Mereraiha, of Ngāi Tahu, Tainui, Te Arawa and Taranaki descent, is passionate about revitalising te re Māori and incorporating more of the language of Aotearoa into its music. 

“It’s really, really exciting. Lorde has opened up her platform and the reo is journeying to new territories, new lands, new dimensions even. It’s finding itself in places it has never been before,” she told Breakfast. 

She said the EP was “resonating globally” and getting “really cool reactions” from fans because te reo Māori had added a whole new layer of meaning to Solar Power.

In translating for Te Ao Mārama, Mereraiha worked alongside Sir Tīmoti Kāretu, Dame Hinewehi Mohi, and Hēmi Kelly.

It was up to all of Aotearoa to get onboard to help te reo Māori thrive, she said. 

Mereraiha said she was “so happy” when hearing te reo and Māori narratives “being reflected back to me through music and other art forms as well”. 

“I look forward to more music, more waiata Māori.” 


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