Jaedyn Randell (Tainui), who gained national headlines following her runner-up placing in last year’s The Voice Australia, has returned to Hamilton for her first concert, Kāinga Hokia.
The former Hamilton Girls High School head girl stole hearts on both sides of the ditch with her second-place placing in the hit show, with Reuben De Melo taking out the top prize.
She has returned to Aotearoa with two shows that speak to her connection to her whenua. She says the name, Kāinga Hokia, has special meaning to her.
“How the name kind of came about is, I wanted to do a couple of shows, kind of like a homecoming. I haven’t done any shows here in Aotearoa where I’ve headlined.
“And, yeah, Kāinga Hokia just came about cause I wanted to come home, I’m doing two shows in two places that I’ve called home before.”
The first show, which kicks off on Friday night at Waikato University, is followed by a second Wellington show.
Headlining a new experience
While a relative unknown to Australian audiences and many from Aotearoa, she has many starring roles to her name, in particular, starring as the voice of Moana in the Disney reo Māori adaptation.
But headliner is a new vibe for the singer.
“In the lead up, especially in the first 24 hours, there’s so many random things I do. Making sure I’m not drinking cold water, making sure I’m drinking enough water.
“On the day of, I’ve just been making sure everything’s all good to go, my dresses are steamed, my bag is packed, my kai and my snacks are all ready.”
A chance to return home to celebrate her Māoritanga
Randell says that while she’s home for work, she’s also looking forward to catching up on a few big hui coming up. The singer, who now lives in Melbourne, is making the most of her time back in Aotearoa.
“I have quite a lot of songs now in my portfolio that I feel ready and happy to release, so in the next coming months I’m hoping to be releasing some waiata.
“I want to make sure I’m home for the Koroneihana. Just anything that I can, any kind of opportunity that I can kind of grab, I will.”
