Brannigan Kaa
Brannigan Kaa is a versatile musician and a great entertainer. He can play funk, R’n’B, reggae, rap, pop, big band sounds or perform moteatea.
Brannigan Kaa is probably one of the most popular recording artists on the Māori radio network and his latest single ‘Pūrua’ – ‘To the Power of Two’ is the te reo Māori waiata selected as a Top 20 finalist in the APRA Silver Scroll Awards.
Twenty-seven years of gigging around the motu has honed Brannigan Kaa’s ear for music that captures people’s imagination. The Wellington-based entertainer from Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu draws on a huge range of musical influences to create popular tunes that are distinctively Māori.
His latest album ‘Pūrua – To the Power of Two’ is a compilation of duets with some of New Zealand’s top talent including Betty-Anne Monga, Whirimako Black and Denis Hepi. The album features up-beat te reo Māori versions of songs originally written by Stevie Wonder, Engelbert Humperdink and Nat King Cole as well as some original love songs written in te reo Māori.
The title track ‘Pūrua’ which is a waiata aroha written by Brannigan Kaa’s partner Jo Paku and translated by his uncle Hone Kaa, is a song about the consistency and power of love. The lyrics talk about the mundane things that couples do every day to strengthen their union and the words roll out over a big band sound that gives it that up-beat feel. ‘Pūrua – To the Power of Two’ is the first song composed in Māori to be selected as a Top 20 finalist in the APRA Silver Scroll Awards (2008).
Brannigan Kaa’s earlier album, ‘He Koingo’ (2004) is a tribute to his aunt and mentor, Arapera Blank who was a poet. She passed away before the album was released. The album was described “as a love story of its own between two people who shared a love of words, language and music”. The album fuses R’n’B, rap and jazz with classical te reo Māori poetry to produce a poignant and sensual sound.
Taputapu (2001) features his parochial, rousing song inspired by the Ngāti Porou East Coast Rugby Team ‘Ka Mau Te Wehi’ and a version of his 90’s classic ‘Maumahara Noa Ahau’ which is one of the best known contemporary waiata Māori.
In addition to his musical success, Brannigan is well known by TV audiences as a co-host on ‘Māorioke’ which screens on Māori Television. He has appeared on TV numerous times and hosted his own drive-time radio show on Te Ūpoko o Te Ika. He is a highly sought-after emcee and entertainer.
The multi-talented family man has also written, arranged and produced waiata Māori resources for kōhanga, kura and schools.
PAO PAO PAO
Selected to perform in 2005, 2008
Solo Albums
- Pūrua: To The Power of Two (2008)
- He Koingo (2004)
- Taputapu (2001)
You can purchase these albums online at www.maorimusic.com