Special RWMF 2025 appearance by Māori artiste signifies NZ-Asean 50 years' relations
KUCHING (June 17): New Zealand's award-winning Māori artiste Rob Ruha and his band will perform at this year's Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), the New Zealand High Commission in Kuala Lumpur announced yesterday.
In a statement, it hailed Ruha's appearance at RWMF 2025 as 'part of a larger cultural diplomacy initiative by the New Zealand government to mark 50 years of dialogue partnership with Asean'.
'Year 2025 is a significant one for Asean, New Zealand and Malaysia.
'Fifty years of dialogue relations stand as a milestone to be celebrated, and a time to highlight our legacy of partnership as we chart a course together for the next 50 years,' said New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia, Michael Walsh.
According to him, Malaysia has always been a strong supporter of New Zealand's ties with Asean, and the New Zealand High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is delighted to commemorate the 'Golden Jubilee' of Asean New Zealand relations under Malaysia's Asean Chairmanship this year.
Ruha is scheduled to perform here this June 21. He is also among the keynote speakers for the Rainforest Youth Summit, scheduled to run from June 18 to 20.
Ruha, of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāti Porou descent, is an acclaimed Māori musician and 'Arts Laureate', whose distinctive 'haka soul' style blends traditional Māori performance elements with genres like R&B, soul, and reggae.
In the statement, Ruha said his heritage played a fundamental part of his music.
'I not only write predominantly in my first language 'Te Reo Māori' (the Māori Language), but the themes and messages I champion in my 'waiata' (songs) are of my people, to my people, and for the world.'
Ruha also said he was looking forward to visiting Sarawak for the first time.
'I will be performing a couple of new songs and a special performance exclusively for this festival, which will include elements of 'kapa haka'.
'I am really looking forward to soaking up the environment, being inspired by the other artists, meeting the locals, and eating Sarawakian food,' he said.
Ruha's songs, which have collectively garnered millions of streams on Spotify, carry powerful themes of cultural identity, hope, love and empowerment.
His work, both as a solo artiste and in collaboration with other performerrs, has earned him multiple awards, including the New Zealand/Aotearoa Music Award for 'Best Māori Album', 'Best Worship Album', and 'Best Soul/R&B Artiste'.
His mentorship and support for Māori youth choir 'Ka Hao' were instrumental in the creation of the song '35', which became a viral hit on TikTok in 2021 and amassed millions of streams on Spotify.
Ruha was also the musical director for the Māori language versions of popular Disney movies such as 'Coco', 'Moana', 'Frozen' and 'Lion King'. entertainment lead music Rainforest World Music Festival Rob Ruha
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