No culture, no Ria
Hall was a representative player in several sporting codes during her time at Tauranga Girls’ college and joining the school’s kapa haka performing arts group, she made the jump from sport to music.
“I was very sports-focused and an average kapa haka performer but it was a physical activity so it was that intermediary step. Over time I honed my musical skills,” she says.
When Hall was 18 she moved to Auckland to begin performing music with a cousin, everything from seedy little pub gigs to corporate shows at Sky City casino.
“I wasn’t really old enough to do the casino shows because you had to be 21, so I used to try and sneak in to see the singers; I was listening, watching, learning…” says Hall.
She spent time in Australia, but moved to Wellington in 2006 where her musical career really took shape.
The soon to be released self-titled EP is a reflection of her heritage and the music she grew up on, and every single track is in both English and Te Reo Maori, says Hall.
“It’s hiphop, reggae and soul, touched by (music producer) Rikki Gooch’s sophisticated beats and rhythms,” she explains, “You can hear my kapa haka influence in my vocals.”
Her dream with the release is to encourage a sophisticated shift in Maori music and take it global. She writes about her country – the people and the land – and wants New Zealanders to hear it, then the world.
“My hope is that the beats will resonate with both people who haven’t engaged with Maori culture and with Maori who want to engage with their own culture,” she says, “It’s all about kotahitanga (unity).”
Hall promises to never leave Wellington – “I don’t know why I didn’t come here earlier – and although she’s currently nursing a torn cruciate ligament, she wants to get back into competitive volleyball and touch rugby.
One thing’s clear though: Ria Hall’s heart is with her culture, and the music.
“Without the culture there would be no Ria.”
Ria Hall, San Francisco Bath House, September 30.










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