Marlon Williams & Lorde collaborate on "Kāhore He Manu E"
Marlon Williams and Lorde
Collaborate On New Single/Video, “Kāhore He Manu E”
Te Whare Tīwekaweka, Williams’ First Māori Language Album, Out 4th April
Watch Trailer for Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua - Two Worlds Documentary
Marlon Williams and Lorde have collaborated on “Kāhore He Manu E,” the next single and video from his first Māori language album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka, out April 4th. The video is pulled from Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua - Two Worlds, the forthcoming documentary film by Ursula Grace Williams about the making of the record, and is a window into the recording process, friendship, and collaboration between Williams and Lorde (aka Ella Yelich-O’Connor).
When Williams was having difficulty writing an album in English, he found that switching to his other ancestral tongue, which while not fluent, unlocked a new means of self-expression and felt like an important act of reclamation. He spent five years creating Te Whare Tīwekaweka, reconnecting with family, friends, and his home town of Lyttelton after a globe-trotting decade establishing his career. The inspiration he found in those people can be seen throughout the record, including on “Kāhore He Manu E.”
Watch the Video for “Kāhore He Manu E (Featuring Lorde)"
“‘Kāhore He Manu E’ was one of those gentle labours. It played itself out to me, easily and near complete from the first. It was also obvious who should be singing it; Ella’s voice in a very real sense wrote the song. The distinct and striking characteristics in her voice cornering and demanding of the melody and phrasing what only her voice could. Singing with Ella is incredible; the amount of mind she’s able to pour into the vessel. We got to know each other through sharing the highs and lows of touring life, and in a real sense this song is an ode to the colourful but grim wormhole of road life, to the friends made and lost in the folds of time, ‘visions lost in the blur.’”
– Marlon Williams
“Over the course of several years I watched Marlon pull at the threads that became Te Whare Tīwekaweka. I saw that the further he got into the album, the deeper my friend came to know himself, his whānau and his world at large. Marlon is an undercover perfectionist, and he was never going to embark on this journey without turning over every stone, crafting complex waiata that speak to the past while also braiding in his characteristic humour and X-ray vision. Singing with Marlon is one of my favourite things to do on earth, whether we are tipsy backstage by a pool table or in a luscious studio, and I was honoured he asked me to sing with him on this album. I’m so proud of my friend.”
– Lorde
MĀORI LYRICS
Kāhore he manu e kakapa i roto rā
Me he manu koe hoki, rere atu ki wawā
Mā wai e kiki te tātākī o te rau?
He taonga te wareware, ka maumahara kē au
Haehaea te marama, maringi toto miraka
Tīramarama atu, e kimi ake rā
Kāhore te taumaha e pēhanga nō runga rā
Oma ake tonu ai, ka pekea ngā matata
E kore e kite ana au, e te hoa hōtoke
He pohewa tonu ai i te makaro e
Haehaea te marama, maringi toto miraka
Tīramarama atu, e kimi ake rā
Kāhore i tae i ahau te tuku mihi koropai
He kōingo, he karanga ki a rīpeka, haramai
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
There is not) a bird that quivers within me
You too are a bird, flying off somewhere
Who is it that will shut up the noise of the people?
It’s a joy to forget, and I remember
Scratch down the moon, let it bleed milk
And shine out, ever searching
(Not) this burden that presses down from above
And I, forever running, leaping over the cracks
You have disappeared, my winter friend
A vision lost in the dimness
Scratch down the moon, let it bleed milk
And shine out, ever seeking
I didn’t get to say my goodbyes
A yearning, a call to the crossroads (Rebecca), come
Supported by long-time touring band The Yarra Benders, co-producer Mark Perkins, the He Waka Kōtuia singers, and Lyttleton-based rapper Kommi, the album is both contemporary and timeless, traversing Marlon’s folk-country-bluegrass territory, while continuing his exploration of pop and the inherent rhythms of Māori music.
The process of making this powerful record has been intimately captured in Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua - Two Worlds, a feature length documentary due out alongside the album. A profound, revealing and joyful journey of reconnection and self-discovery, the film weaves together the various strands of Marlon’s experience – musician, actor, son, friend and student – as he reflects on his career so far and the challenges and pleasures of articulating his worldview in te reo Māori.
Marlon Williams Tour Dates
Wed. Apr. 23 - London, UK @ St. Pancras Old Church - SOLD OUT
Thu. Apr. 24 - London, UK @ St. Pancras Old Church - SOLD OUT
Fri. Apr. 25 - London, UK @ St. Pancras Old Church - SOLD OUT
Te Whare Tīwekaweka Tracklist:
1. E Mawehe Ana Au
2. Kei Te Mārama
3. Aua Atu Rā
4. Me Uaua Kē
5. Korero Māori
6. Ko Tēnā Ua
7. Whakamaettia Mai
8. Ngā Ara Aroha
9. Huri te Whenua (Featuring KOMMI)
10. Kuru Pounamu
11. Kāhore He Manu E (Featuring Lorde)
12. Pānaki
13. Rere Mai Ngā Rau
14. Pōkaia Rā te Marama
Marlon Williams Online
