Soul Sessions made its name as a show filling a gap in the local television landscape by celebrating popular gospel music, with its first season focusing on Pasifika artists.
Now its second season will incorporate Māori and te reo.
"Gospel music in Aotearoa and in Polynesia has a specific sound. Part of that sound is utilising te reo. I'm finding in Aoteraroa at the moment we are going through a revitalisation of te reo Māori," Soul Sessions creator and host Sara Jane Elika says.
“I was excited talking about waiata and singing in te reo Māori for myself and other artists who have come on board.”
The second season of Soul Sessions will premiere this weekend on the TP+ online, then screen on Māori Television, Prime and Shine TV.
‘Amazing artists’
The music show is a dream come true for the award-winning New Zealand Samoan singer. The ground-breaking first season of Soul Sessions premiered in March 2021.
The show, which also screened a one-off Christmas special, explores the gospel music scene in Aotearoa by featuring soul and gospel musicians, with each episode concluding with a live duet with Elika.
“Gospel music is a massive genre internationally. In Aotearoa, we have some amazing artists who have made an impact.”
Māori artists featuring on the show include Ruawhaitiri Ngatai Mahue and Anna Grahame, who works alongside Teeks. Other performers include Nick Afoa, who plays Simba in the Australian production of The Lion King, and Evile Laloata from The Voice Australia.
“Gospel is a genre of music that is live. I know with our Māori and Pacific cultures singing is always about capturing the essence of how you’re feeling.”