Lucy Summerfield Releases First Bilingual Waiata ‘He Aha Tāku’
He Aha Tāku started on the streets of Wellington as 40,000 people came together for the hīkoi in 2024. Summerfield talks about the shifts in her focus, “At that time I wanted to write an angry protest song. Instead, after walking the streets of Wellington, with tiny tamariki and kaumātua, tāngata whenua and tāngata tiriti, singing, talking and looking after each other, He Aha Tāku ended up as a celebration of people, hopeful and joyous”.
He Aha Tāku is the third and final release in the lead up to Lucy Summerfield’s debut EP We Are Learning Too. The lyrics talk about all the different ways the natural world is powerful, sharks with their teeth, small drops of rain that cause raging floods. He Aha Tāku asks “What do I have?” but in the chorus it changes to “What do we have? It is community”. The song has an impressive credits list with local Pōneke musicians Danica Bryant, kloey, Nick Potts & Riva Cowan from Nameless and Brainless, Hazel Elder and Toby Sussex all lending their voices to the record.
After releasing music in te reo Māori and English, He Aha Tāku is the first waiata Summerfield has released with both languages. The song is in two halves, with the words in te reo Māori first and then in English. “It’s important to me that these are viewed as equivalents and not translations”, Summerfield says, “Whenever you move between languages something is gained and something is lost. That’s the joy of having different cultures, languages and worldviews around us. He Aha Tāku is all about how we are stronger together. It’s not setting aside our differences that makes that happen, it’s leaning into them”.
Finally Lucy Summerfield talks about her vision for what comes next. “Despite everything, I’m really hopeful for the future. I think the balance is tipping as we realise that genuine connection and coming together is what makes life good. I want my music to be for that brighter future ahead.”
