Spotlight: Theia x TE KAAHU 'Girl In A Savage World' Tour

Winner of the Best Independent Debut Award for her 2022 album Te Kaahu O Rangi as TE KAAHU, Theia (Waikato-Tainui, Ngaati Tiipaa) is soon returning home to Aotearoa from the US for her forthcoming Girl In A Savage World tour. Balancing two distinct, hugely successful musical projects is no mean feat — the multifaceted artist will bring both universes together for the first time this spring, performing reimagined selections from her lyrically fearless electronic pop oeuvre as Theia and waiata from her all te reo Māori songwriting works as TE KAAHU.

Theia has today unveiled a brand new Ōtautahi headline event at The Piano on 11th November, as part of the WORD Christchurch literary festival — joining earlier announced tour dates at Taranaki's Reimagine Festival, Tauranga Arts Festival, Nelson Arts Festival and Hawkes Bay Arts Festival. Born in Ōtautahi, this will be the first time Theia has performed in the garden city in five years, and her debut hometown performance of TE KAAHU material. Recent star of our Down Under & UTR comics music journalism series, don't miss Theia x TE KAAHU's forthcoming shows "about storytelling, songwriting and the power of music" at the dates following...

“The last three years I’ve moved between my projects. They are sonically worlds apart, but they are both expressions and extensions of me as an artist. In the past I’d never really imagined a time when these two would meet, mostly because I wasn't sure that people who loved one or the other, could love both. But then the idea came to me. I wanted to challenge the notions we impose on music – to look beyond the language it’s delivered in or the genres, and production it’s wrapped in and to break it down to its bare bones.”

Theia x TE KAAHU 'Girl In A Savage World' Tour

Friday 6th October - Reimagine Festival, Taranaki
Friday 20th October - Tauranga Arts Festival
Sunday 22nd October - Hawkes Bay Arts Festival
Friday 27th October - Mask Carnivale, Nelson Arts Festival (Theia material only, free)
Saturday 28th October - Nelson Arts Festival
Saturday 11th November - The Piano, WORD Christchurch

Tickets available HERE

Experience Theia's soaring 2023 single 'Pray 4 Me'...

Listen to TE KAAHU and Delaney Davidson's gorgeous new collaborative waiata 'I Ngooku Moemoeaa'...

Press release:

After last month announcing her return from the US for the upcoming GIRL IN A SAVAGE WORLD tour, NZ-born singer and songwriter Theia has just added a Christchurch show.

It’s the first time in over five years that Christchurch-born Theia has played in her hometown and the first-time ever that she’ll be performing waiata from her award-winning project TE KAAHU.

GIRL IN A SAVAGE WORLD is a special performance of reimagined songs from Theia’s critically acclaimed alt-pop catalogue alongside the songs from TE KAAHU’s critically acclaimed debut album TE KAAHU O RANGI. The bespoke show will be presented at a selection of arts festivals around the country, launching at Reimagine Festival (Taranaki) on October 6; then traveling to Tauranga Arts Festival on October 20; Hawkes Bay Arts Festival on October 22, Nelson Arts Festival on October 28 and the newly announced date of November 11 in Christchurch.

Theia will also perform a one-off show as part of the Nelson Arts Festival’s free event Mask Carnivale on October 27 - note this is Theia material only.

Theia is excited to be returning to New Zealand for this tour, which is the first time both Theia and TE KAAHU songs will be performed on the same stage to the same audience. This is a show about storytelling, songwriting and the power of music.

Theia is a three-time nominee at the NZ Music Awards and has been a finalist in the George FM Awards and the Waiata Māori Music Awards. Her project TE KAAHU won the 2023 Taite Prize for Best Independent Debut with the exquisite debut album ‘Te Kaahu O Rangi’. Theia’s debut album is due for release in 2024.