Hailing from Hawke’s Bay, Arahi is a musician with a soft spot for heartfelt folk. He had an early love for music, learning the guitar at just eight years old, and is now a talented musician and prolific collaborator gearing up for his debut album release later this year. 
Arahi’s journey illustrates the dedication and passion required to make a living as a musician. We sat down with him to hear more about this as well as the less visible role that organisations like OneMusic play in compensating artists for their creative work.

Kia ora Arahi, can you tell us more about how your music journey began?

Kia ora! Yeah, so it started when I was eight years old. My parents were looking for something I could really grasp onto. Then I picked up the guitar. Pretty much from my very first lesson, I knew this was it. Throughout the years since then, there have been so many people who have come into my life just nudging me in a certain direction and making things clearer in terms of the direction I go in with my music.

As an artist, creating the music you do and having the freedom to be creative requires significant time, resources, and energy. Can you speak to that from your experience?

Keeping afloat with music as your only source of income means you’re operating in many smaller branches within the music industry. It’s like balancing a heap of spinning plates. The more branches you can operate in, the more sustainable a living you can make.
And music licensing is one of those super important and rewarding parts of it. You’ve done the creative work and the music itself is out there working away, generating a semi-passive type of income. It’s one of the main thresholds to being a full-time musician.

Have there been any standout, rewarding moments in your career so far?

I think it’s good to be aware that everything you do is important, even if it’s a gig you played on a Wednesday night that you feel you did a bad job at. It’s still a step forward on your journey. There certainly have been standout moments, like playing to a big audience or opening for a great artist. It’s easy to get caught up thinking about those ‘big ones’, like “I’ve got to get there, get those big achievements, I’ve got to make it.” But it’s also so inspiring to think day-by-day about what you’ve done. Every little thing ends up being beneficial.

OneMusic often talks to businesses about how different their spaces would be without music. How vital is the role they play in paying for licenses?

I mean it’s kind of like everybody wins. As artists, we create songs for people to enjoy or relate to, and your song might be perfect for a certain type of establishment. They then benefit from a song that creates a vibe inside their store. When I’m at restaurants that don’t play music; it’s weird, and you always notice it. You feel like you don’t want to talk, and you feel like you might hear other people’s conversations – there’s just no vibe.

Have you ever been out somewhere and heard your own music playing, and it felt like a ‘pinch me’ moment?

It’s a cool feeling. The great thing is venues in Aotearoa are usually good when it comes to playing local music and sound engineers will play it in-between acts too. Occasionally, you also get the smaller businesses jumping in on the local music, and that’s always the best.

Do you have any upcoming projects or anything you’re currently working on?

Well, I’ve been working on my first debut album for over a year now. It’s due out in October and I’m really enjoying the slow burn of making it – going to the studio for a week, then working on other things for a week. By the time the album’s released, it will be about two years since we started.

Every business that applies for a OneMusic license and has their music correctly licensed for public use plays a part in supporting artists such as Arahi. They can continue crafting the soundscapes that enrich atmospheres in stores and restaurants across Aotearoa and contribute to our vibrant cultural fabric at the same time.
To learn more about a OneMusic license for your own business, you can find all the information to get you started here.

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