Dillastrate & Amber Carly Williams Team Up On ‘Tōia Mai’
Ōtautahi legends Dillastrate and Amber Carly Williams have today co-released a new track celebrating honesty and self-expression, Tōia Mai.
The collaborative release captures an earthy and organic instrumental, grounded in te ao Māori, complemented by powerful vocal performances. The sonic landscape reflects a journey through Te Waipounamu, with soaring peaks and cradling lowlands, from the mountains to the sea. This track effortlessly blends the two artists’ signature sounds together – a seamless fusion of folk and soul.
Tōia Mai is an empowering waiata about showing up as your true self and trusting the journey ahead. It acknowledges the pain that we all go through, but reminds us not to let those experiences define us – a reminder that you are enough, and that there is so much growth and beauty ahead of you.
“We wrote the waiata during a reo Māori songwriting wānanga in Ōtautahi, which was such a special experience,” said Amber about the new waiata. “Even though I have only limited knowledge of te reo Māori, this was a safe space to try and learn new things, and an opportunity to communicate and translate songwriting in a completely new way for me. A lot of the lines in te reo Māori are so poetic and metaphorical that I wouldn’t know how you would word it exactly in English.”
A forthcoming music video made by award-winning cinematographer and director Taine Noble (Keenan Te, Chaii, Chase Woods; NZMA-nominated) is set to be released in a week’s time (Friday 1st May – the first day of New Zealand Music Month). The video was shot in Bank Peninsula, Canterbury, showing the journey of a young girl exploring the natural world around her, visually communicating the song’s message of authenticity, hope and conviction.
Dillastrate have been making waves since the release of their 2017 EP, Black Diamond, with no sign of abatement, having recently won the prestiguous APRA-AMCOS Silver Scrolls Tohu Maioha award for their reo Māori drum & bass anthem Kei Whati Te Marama. The new single is the first release following Dillastrate’s recent We Built This World With Aroha EP, the lead single of which So In Love has recently dominated the top of the national RadioScope Te Reo Māori Airplay charts.
Amber Carly Williams (Ōtautahi), known for her raw vulnerability and emotionally charged songwriting, is carving out her place in Aotearoa’s alternative/indie-pop scene. Since 2023, Amber has had multiple releases, headlined shows around the country, opended for artists Jeremy Redmore and Georgia Gets By, and performed at major festivals included Rolling Meadows, Bay Dreams, Nostalgia, TwoMinds, CupaDupa and The Great Kiwi Beer Fest. A seasoned collaborator, she has been invited to participate in Big Fan Camp Volume 1, Parachute Song Week and SongHubs Ōtautahi 2025, featured in live sessions with RNZ, Intros and Spark, and was a semi-finalist on Popstars NZ, where she worked alongside Kimbra, Jeremy Redmore and many more.
Tōia Mai was made thanks to funding made available by New Zealand on Air and Te Māngai Pāho’s Waiata Takitahi fund. Recorded and produced by the Grammy-nominated Rory Noble (Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign, Burnaboy, Just Blaze) at Roundhead Studios, Auckland, and mastered by Jamie Boyo at FiveAM Music, Auckland. Pitching and publicity services were provided by Acts Agency, with additional support from FiveAM Music. Distributed by Waave via FiveAM Music. Cover art by Taine Noble.
