Kiwi soul collective, Jubilee, follow up their 2017 Smokefree Tangata Beats win with a powerful song
The winners of Smokefree Tangata Beats 2017, Jubilee, have today released their bold and empowering song, Fire.
The soul collective from Aorere College in Auckland took out the national final of Smokefree Tangata Beatsin last year’s competition; impressing judges Priya Sami from Trip Pony, singer-songwriter and musician Seth Haapu and Hannah Brewer from NZ on Air.
“Jubileewere cohesive; they interacted well on stage; they were dynamic, authentic and had a raw energy,” Says Hannah Brewer.
Jubilee is made up of six members, including Irene Folau (vocals). Folauputs their win down to some last minute, intense effort.
“Being in Year 13, as we were then, we had so much on. School had to come first, then we’re also in a jazz band, so on the last night we just knuckled down in a really intense practice session”.
As multi-instrumentalists who love expressing themselves through music, the members of Jubileeset themselves the challenge of writing about current events or pivotal life experiences. Although they have a vibe that fits within the realms of soul, they fuse together many styles of music when writing, often deciding on an obscure genre to explore and make their own.
This can be heard in Fire – a powerful song of empowerment that slips effortlessly from English into Te Reo Māori and back, showcasing Malamala’s powerful vocals and the musicianship of the group.
Malamalaalso won the national MAINZ Best Musicianship Award in 2017, with tuition fees valued at over $4000.
Entrants in Smokefree Tangata Beats competed over winter 2017 in 37 heats and finals from Invercargill to Whangarei held in conjunction with Smokefreerockquest.
The national finalists were selected from videos sent by the regional winners and judged by a panel from the NZ music industry. Smokefree Tangata Beats entrants include an element of Māori or Pasifika culture in their performance.
Smokefree Tagata Beats standout successes include Nesian Mystik, the only New Zealand band to ever have 10 singles all certified gold or platinum; plus Ria Hall, Spacifix, Adeaze, Strangely Arousing and Alien Weaponry.
