Aro are the married duo of Charles and Emily Looker – songwriters, storytellers and whānau-centred creatives whose artistry weaves together reo Māori and English with elements of jazz, folk, soul, and haka-infused rhythm. Delivered amidst a multi-album environmental concept series project, their uplifting 2026 album ‘Tāwauwau’ found inspiration from touring Aotearoa with a caravan and their young tamariki during 2025.

Both raised in Tamaki Makaurau, albeit on opposite sides of the city, Aro now call Pukekohe home – usually. Along with their two children the couple have been experiencing life on the road with a caravan since April last year, heading first into Te Waipounamu then back up towards the Far North, making music all along the way.

Emily and Charles Looker (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua, Ngāti Mutunga) met while both studying pop music at Auckland University, and started writing together in 2016. In earlier days she was a solo artist as Emily Rice, and both were part of the Christian community ensemble House of Misfits circa 2020.

“We got married, and ever since then we’ve been working on concept albums and music projects together, fortunately with a lot of amazing funding support along the way,” explains Emily.

“There’s so much to sing and write about the things that we care about. We can’t help but want to articulate those thoughts and feelings through music, which in and of itself is kind of inescapable and necessary for us to be able to even function, because it’ll bug us until we bring it out – so let it out, whaanau!”

The name Aro translates to “focus, turn toward or give attention”, stemming from their desire to keep choosing and turning towards what matters.

“It’s about people and how we relate to each other, our natural environment, and ultimately love.”

Since their first single, A Hymn of Faith, in 2017, Aro have released several EPs and albums exploring Aotearoa’s natural heritage, becoming longlist finalists for the Silver Scroll Award in 2023 and 2024, APRA Maioha Award finalists, and winning the Best Pop Album title at the 2024 Waiata Māori Music Awards with ‘He Rākau, He Ngārara’ released that year.

Following ‘Manu’ (2019) and ‘He Wai’ (2021), ‘He Rākau, He Ngārara’ was another concept album inspired by the natural elements of Aotearoa. The process included researching mātauranga Māori relevant to legends and whakatauki, each waiata written with involvement from members of iwi and hapū that Charles belongs to.

“‘He Rākau He Ngārara’ was inspired from the kura huna, the hidden gems found in our oral traditions about our native trees, insects, and reptiles,” says Emily. “It was the third piece to a four-part project of writing four albums inspired by the natural signs Māori learnt for changes in our environment – with the final part coming out in 2027.”

Released in March 2026, ‘Tāwauwau’ is a step aside from that series, this collection venturing into imaginative territory, presenting a fantasy realm where imagination and reality intertwine. Written in the first months of living on the road with their two pre-school children, Emily describes it as a musical exploration of spaces that feel both beyond and within reach, the songs carrying the intimacy of family, journey, and whenua.

“It’s deeply personal, and hopefully helpful for listeners, whether for venting or just taking a breath!”

From the cheerful nature of first single Puna Ora to the restless tension of Mundane, ‘Tāwauwau’ invites listeners to rediscover beauty, faith, and wonder within the ordinary.

“Puna Ora was inspired by the magic we see in our tamariki and the imaginative play and joy they have for life, unshaped by the expectations (which does get hard and rough as you become an adult).

“It’s about trying to find the magic that we discover or glimpse as tamariki do, and finding it again as adults, even with all the baggage we now carry. It’s kind of like an invitation to lean into the ‘what if’ of our lives, that beauty or beast, and say hello and decide what that means (for yourself) from there.”

As a first single choice Emily explains that Puna Ora felt like the best invitation to the album, capturing the essence of the new project.

“Though the album is very diverse in style and mood, this one is like the start of the journey. It’s also probably the most fun single we have shared, and we thought it would be fun to put it out leading into summer.”

Mundane, the second single, contains more tension, the point of seeing rhythms repeating in ourselves and others – and the corresponding trials of wanting to move forward, but getting stuck in the mundane.  

Directed and produced by Luke Penney the song’s music video is set in a skate rink, Aro jamming out in 1950s rock’n’roll style, while others roller skate around the four-piece band.

“We recorded two videos at the same time in Tāmaki Makaurau. The other is set in a place that could be Tāwauwau… it’s a pretty nice depiction of what this place could look like. Luke and his team did an amazing job bringing the visual of this album concept to life. Every song invites listeners to wander, to marvel, and to dwell in the wonder of an unknown world waiting to be felt.”

Principally the band’s singer, Emily plays tenor saxophone, and says with laughter that she can find her way around piano and guitar. Charles mostly plays guitar, but as a lover of rhythm enjoys the occasional stint on bass, drums or percussion.

The self-managed pair also self-produced ‘Tāwauwau’, which was recorded by Emily Wheatcroft-Snape at The Lab in Auckland, Vivek Gabriel subsequently looking after the mastering. Musician collaborators included Abraham Kunin on electric guitar, Marika Hodgson on bass, drummer Dean Rodrigues, Ben Whitaker on taonga pūoro and Callum Lee on woodwinds, trumpet and some BVs.

Aro received a grant from Te Māngai Paho for the album project, and Waiata Anthems supported the release of Puna Ora with a three-part of short video series, covering the inspiration behind the waiata, their of life on the road, and one in which Charles shares about receiving his Mataora or moko, another part of the same journey.

Sonically Aro is all about weaving natural earthy sounds and traditions, decorated with modern realities, finishes Emily.

“There’s so much to sing and write about the things that we care about. We can’t help but want to articulate those thoughts and feelings through music, which in and of itself is kind of inescapable and necessary for us to be able to even function, because it’ll bug us until we bring it out.”