As she celebrates being inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame this week, Dame Hinewehi Mohi talks to the Weekly about the unexpected award and the healing impact a lifetime of music has had on her whānau.
The Hawke’s Bay talent first hit the airwaves in 1999 with the release of her debut album Oceania, recorded with English producer Jaz Coleman. Smiling at the cherished memories, Hinewehi recalls recording the initial hit single Kōtahitanga with her daughter Hineraukatauri, then just 18 months old, in her arms.
Born with cerebral palsy, Hineraukatauri is nonverbal and at the time used a tracheostomy to breathe. But as Hinewehi experimented with the now iconic chorus, “Whakaawe awe awe”, Hineraukatauri couldn’t contain her enthusiasm.
“We got the first recording with her snorting along with her tracheostomy,” recalls Hinewehi, now 59. “Because she was just a baby when I was writing the songs with Jaz, she was always on my hip, listening and influencing those tunes and ideas in the lyrics.”
While it was an incredibly challenging time, it was also a profoundly life-changing one. Hinewehi was told her daughter’s chances of surviving to adulthood were low and much time was spent in and out of hospital.
“I remember Jaz said, ‘Use this music as a vehicle for expressing your emotions and feelings about the birth of your daughter.’ It was such a wonderful thing, but she was born with a lot of challenges and we didn’t know what the future held for her.”
The album went on to be a huge success, spending 18 weeks in the Top 40 charts.
Bu hikaye New Zealand Woman's Weekly dergisinin Jun 3, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye New Zealand Woman's Weekly dergisinin Jun 3, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Fowl PLAY!
Chicken dinners are a family favourite all over the globe
CRYSTAL ball
That's rich! The stars shone bright in Milan
Five minutes with...STACEY MORRISON
The broadcaster, of Te Arawa and Ngāi Tahu descent, is thanking her lucky stars
Eating on the CHEAP
Some wallet-friendly ingredients still give Colin the ick
Simple acts of KINDNESS
Kevin marvels at the way women 'bake' it all better for a friend in need
The power of COLD WATER
Could an ice bath or a bracing ocean swim be the answer to good health and happiness?
They're so clucky! IBRAHEM'S CHICKEN PARADISE
The farmer's wild about his free-range friends
Self-sufficient 'sisters' OUR OWN LITTLE UTOPIA
Jasmine and Wikitoria have created a happy place where 'everyone we love is here'
New queen of romance 'MY FRIENDS THINK IT'S HILARIOUS!'
Nicola never imagined she'd be part of Bridgerton's most feverish love stories
Mātai's family grief 'THE BABY THAT IS SAVING US'
Holding his late brother's grandson brings bittersweet memories for the TV star