Fly My Pretties show another side to the album Elemental, with the bilingual track ‘AIE’ featuring lead vocals from TAWAZ. Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo winner at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards, TAWAZ brings an R&B/soul vibe to ‘AIE’, with a call & response hook that moves effortlessly between te reo Māori & English.
One of several tracks that features te reo Māori throughout the album, ‘AIE’ features TAWAZ combining his vocals alongside RIIKI REID, Taylah and AJA, all creating a powerful vocal section. The theme of the track is clear - it doesn’t matter if you “got no Reo”, te reo Māori is a language that welcomes all. The waiata shows the importance placed on te reo Māori and tikanga throughout the creation of Elemental, with everyone involved embracing te reo and all aspects throughout the album's creation.
Set for release on May 16, Elemental sees Fly My Pretties exploring a range of fundamental human, spiritual and natural elements through waiata. The resulting project is a collection of songs dripping in soul and blues, performed by an all-star band and a collection of incredible vocalists. Written and recorded over one week at the world-class facilities of Wellington’s Massey University, the new album represents a step in an exciting new direction for Fly My Pretties, while still maintaining the unexpected nature fans have come to expect.