“Ko te reo Māori, he matapihi ki te ao Māori” goes the Māori whakatauki (proverb) that has guided Aotearoa singer/songwriter Marlon Williams’(Kāi Tahu, Ngāi Tai) fourth solo album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka. Translated, it means “The Māori language is a window to the Māori world” and expresses Marlon’s motivation behind his first te reo Māori album. “Through the process of constructing these songs,” Marlon says, “I’ve found a means of expressing my joys, sorrows and humour in a way that feels both distinctly new yet also connects me to my tīpuna [ancestors] and my whenua [land, home].”