Waatea Music artist Sonny Maru-Habib performs under the stage name MarÜ. Hailing from Whakatane, this confident newcomer has just released his debut single Te Ora. The dance track was judged catchy enough to gain one of the few spots available on NZ On Air Music‘s NewTracks compilation right away.
Ko Sonny Maru-Habib toku ingoa. Ko Ngati Rarawhati te hapu. Ko Ngati Awa te iwi. No Whakatane ahau.
I grew an interest in music from a really young age and decided to pursue it during early high school. I would listen to my dad and his brothers sing at family events and was amazed at how well they sounded together.
I haven’t much exposure to the music industry apart from a talent quest in year 11. I hope to invest in my own music studio so that I’m able to push my music further and more frequently.
The name MarÜ was derivative of the former part of my last name. Being Māori, I felt it I should keep my artist name near home. The accent on the U is a creative choice that I enjoyed making.
As any other songwriter, I find myself with a lot of unfinished ideas just waiting to be progressed. The contents are usually what my life is focused on at that certain point in my life, so seeing myself evolve through my hardships and triumphs is nostalgic to reflect back on.
Te Ora being the first single I’ve released at a professional level, it’s a step in the right direction to where I want to go with my music.
Te Ora is based around kotahitanga (unity) and being able to identify your companions while uplifting them to be better than they were yesterday. Also, while living in the moment of helping others remembering to embrace yourself and your own accomplishes.
There is a part in the breakdown where a chant is spoken. The chant denotes to the people of New Zealand standing for one another, and also themselves, being strengthened by others to work together through life.
This song was written in English by myself with a lot of points jotted down with what I wanted to say. I had then called my aunty who was willing to help, alongside some other family members, to translate this into song form.
I’d like for people to understand that life is more fulfilling being on the happier side of the fence. And if you’re there, helping others is always appreciated and uplifting.
Creativity is a huge aspect in making a song, but really focusing on your target audience and how you want to portray a message, how and why you make a decision throughout the song-making process. In the end, it is really your own decision as to how you want it to sound, and if you enjoy that sound hoping others will take the same emotions/ideas that you have aimed for.
I have really ambitious ideas that I’d want to achieve later in my music career and hope to reach those by slowly progressing my exposure and impact on social media. To hopefully get funding so that I’m more available to express my art and work through my projects quicker is always a motivational key to being where I want to be.
I have recently been indulging in local music so the likes of Six60, Lion Rezz, Teeks are huge influences in my music.
This is my first single so to be featured on New Artists is a privilege and honor.
I surf YouTube a lot for musical inspiration and find vocalists and music producers who make their own covers/originals that catch my attention. I hope to reach that benchmark in the near future with my own home studio.
Ko tenei te mihi atu kia koutou katoa.
Chur Whanau
