have a Maori element to Pure, but I was not sure that we would manage to pull it off. When they came into the studio, they brought lots of New Zealand food with them to share and it became quite a party.
We also had a British choir with them in the studio at the same time. The members of the Maori cultural group were very nervous about performing in front of the choir because, although they performed professionally, they were unused to performing in the classical-music style. It was quite funny because the members of the British choir turned out to be completely in awe of the Maori cultural group and spent the whole time they were there working up the courage to ask them to perform the haka.
As soon as the Brits finally asked, the Maori choir did the business and it was a huge hit, really breaking down any barriers that had existed between the two groups. For me, it was so exciting to have such an authentic Kiwi atmosphere in a studio in Hampstead, North London. When the two choirs sing together on 'Pokarekare Ana', they create a magnificent sound – one of the real peaks of the whole
album. Audiences outside New Zealand constantly ask me what the words to 'Pokarekare Ana' actually mean. So here is the translation.
Stormy are the waters
Of restless Waiapu;
If you cross them, girl,
They will be calmed.
Oh, girl,
Come back to me;
I could die
Of love for you.
I write you my letter;
I send you my ring,
So your people can see
How troubled I am.
Oh, girl,
Come back to me;
I could die
Of love for you.
It's the story of two lovers who are separated and is a very tragic song, although you would have been hard-pressed to realise through the buzz of excitement as we recorded it for Pure. It was so special to be creating this seminal New Zealand track over in London and to have a studio full of Kiwis there for support.
During the time when I was working on Pure, I was starting to sing in a series of live concerts around the UK withRussell Watson, who is also signed to Decca. I had already sung with him once in New Zealand in a special outdoor concert for the American television channelPBS. I opened the show for him and then we performed a duet on 'Pokarekare Ana'. It went down well with the crowd, so he invited me to join him on his tour of the UK.
This was a time when I was completely unknown, so it was a big opportunity for me. As I travelled around the UK, I began to get some sort of sense of the country as a whole, rather than just London. Russell was riding the crest of a huge number of record sales and was performing sell-out concerts in the big arenas usually reserved for pop acts, so it was a real baptism of fire for me.
The record company bought me my stage outfit: a little denim miniskirt and a sparkly top from Top Shop. It was all very girly, but it was the right look for me at that stage, although I wouldn't be seen dead wearing that sort of thing on stage now. 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was one of the songs that I performed as part of my set. It always went down well, although, just before I walked on stage in Newcastle, I had a quick lesson in English football teams and their songs fromPerry Hughes, Russell's manager at the time.
'You do realise that this song is Liverpool's and you're in Newcastle – a rival?' he asked me, with a big grin on his face.
'Good to know,' I gulped, as I walked on stage. I apologised for what I was about to sing and got a huge round of applause from the very friendly (and forgiving) Newcastle crowd.
Russell's tour was the one and only occasion when Mum has appeared on stage with me at one of my professional engagements. Russell decided that he wanted to sing 'Mustang Sally' and they needed to draft in some emergency backing singers. So Mum was volunteered alongside the hair and makeup artist. It was her moment of stardom and she loved it.
I'm only glad that Dad was not there, or else he, too, might have been enrolled. Love him as I do, he really can't sing or dance. Sophie, Isaac
We also had a British choir with them in the studio at the same time. The members of the Maori cultural group were very nervous about performing in front of the choir because, although they performed professionally, they were unused to performing in the classical-music style. It was quite funny because the members of the British choir turned out to be completely in awe of the Maori cultural group and spent the whole time they were there working up the courage to ask them to perform the haka.
As soon as the Brits finally asked, the Maori choir did the business and it was a huge hit, really breaking down any barriers that had existed between the two groups. For me, it was so exciting to have such an authentic Kiwi atmosphere in a studio in Hampstead, North London. When the two choirs sing together on 'Pokarekare Ana', they create a magnificent sound – one of the real peaks of the whole
album. Audiences outside New Zealand constantly ask me what the words to 'Pokarekare Ana' actually mean. So here is the translation.
Stormy are the waters
Of restless Waiapu;
If you cross them, girl,
They will be calmed.
Oh, girl,
Come back to me;
I could die
Of love for you.
I write you my letter;
I send you my ring,
So your people can see
How troubled I am.
Oh, girl,
Come back to me;
I could die
Of love for you.
It's the story of two lovers who are separated and is a very tragic song, although you would have been hard-pressed to realise through the buzz of excitement as we recorded it for Pure. It was so special to be creating this seminal New Zealand track over in London and to have a studio full of Kiwis there for support.
During the time when I was working on Pure, I was starting to sing in a series of live concerts around the UK withRussell Watson, who is also signed to Decca. I had already sung with him once in New Zealand in a special outdoor concert for the American television channelPBS. I opened the show for him and then we performed a duet on 'Pokarekare Ana'. It went down well with the crowd, so he invited me to join him on his tour of the UK.
This was a time when I was completely unknown, so it was a big opportunity for me. As I travelled around the UK, I began to get some sort of sense of the country as a whole, rather than just London. Russell was riding the crest of a huge number of record sales and was performing sell-out concerts in the big arenas usually reserved for pop acts, so it was a real baptism of fire for me.
The record company bought me my stage outfit: a little denim miniskirt and a sparkly top from Top Shop. It was all very girly, but it was the right look for me at that stage, although I wouldn't be seen dead wearing that sort of thing on stage now. 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was one of the songs that I performed as part of my set. It always went down well, although, just before I walked on stage in Newcastle, I had a quick lesson in English football teams and their songs fromPerry Hughes, Russell's manager at the time.
'You do realise that this song is Liverpool's and you're in Newcastle – a rival?' he asked me, with a big grin on his face.
'Good to know,' I gulped, as I walked on stage. I apologised for what I was about to sing and got a huge round of applause from the very friendly (and forgiving) Newcastle crowd.
Russell's tour was the one and only occasion when Mum has appeared on stage with me at one of my professional engagements. Russell decided that he wanted to sing 'Mustang Sally' and they needed to draft in some emergency backing singers. So Mum was volunteered alongside the hair and makeup artist. It was her moment of stardom and she loved it.
I'm only glad that Dad was not there, or else he, too, might have been enrolled. Love him as I do, he really can't sing or dance. Sophie, Isaac
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