Mohi Allen of Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāiterangi and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa started composing when he was 12.
Now he's a fully-fledged recording artist who's planning to release a compilation EP at the end of the year.
The album called Moments will feature seven tracks - the first E Kii was released last year and the second, Te Aroha Mauroa has just been released.
“I have a set of waiata Māori and also a set of English waiata coming out as well. So I'm hoping that with the two types of waiata that they bring together Maori and non-Maori audiences,” Allen says.
Te Aroha Mauroa, Allen's new waiata, is about the journey taken in pursuit of love.
“I really wanted to create a positive vibey joyful happy song for our whānau. And everyone needs aroha, especially during the times that we're in at the moment.”
Allen says the original waiata was actually composed in English and is called, Lovers Lane, which will be released on April 15.
“That waiata was written a long time ago when I was you know a bit of a teenybopper trying to follow around one of my best wahine mates at the time.”=
Allen says growing up in kapa haka kick-started his passion for composing when the principal at his bi-lingual school, Te Kura o Ngā Kākano o Te Kaihanga, gave students the opportunity to compose songs for their kapa haka group.
“That was sort of like the challenge I needed and I started writing waiata for the kapa haka group then. I was about 12-13 back then.”
Inspired by kapa haka artists
Nowadays he's inspired by successful Māori artists who emerged from the world of kapa haka.
“People like Rob Ruha that do things and all of their waiata based or grounded in kaupapa Māori. Maisey Rika, even Teeks, the way that they hold themselves onstage and offstage.”
Allen's music tastes range from haka to jazz and from pop to gospel.
“I look up to so many different people and I feel like a little bit of each of them, inspires me to create the kind of waiata that I do now.”