Marlon Williams marks the first anniversary of Te Whare Tīwekaweka with a limited edition green vinyl pressing of the album.
Upon its release last year, Te Whare Tīwekaweka debuted at #1 on both the Top 40 and Top 20 Aotearoa Albums Charts - the first album sung entirely in te reo by a solo artist to chart at #1 on the Top 40, and the second ever to do so.
In October, single Aua Atu Rā won the 2025 APRA Silver Scroll Award | Kaitito Kaiaka, with Te Whare Tīwekaweka going on to top year-end best of lists across the motu. 2025 also saw sold-out album tours across Aotearoa, Australia, LA, New York and London, along with the worldwide release of Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua - Two Worlds, a documentary following Marlon’s four-year journey of reconnection and self-discovery behind writing and recording the album.
Marlon has recently announced that he will be taking a sabbatical from the spotlight, but not before bringing it all home with the Tā te Manawa tour in May:
- April 11th - Button Factory, Dublin IE
- April 12th - Oran Mor, Glasgow UK
- April 14th - YES, Manchester UK
- April 15th - Islington Assembly Hall, London UK - sold out
- April 16th - Thekla, Bristol UK
- April 18th - Gaîté Lyrique, Paris, France
- April 20th - Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands - sold out
- April 21st - SPOT/De Oosterpoort, Groningen, Netherlands
- April 22nd - Fannz Club, Berlin, Germany
- April 24th - Svømmehallen Scene, Bodø, Norway
- May 21, Civic Theatre, Auckland
- May 22, Civic Theatre, Auckland – sold out
- May 23, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington – sold out
- May 27, Trafalgar Centre, Nelson
- May 29, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington
- May 30, Christchurch Town Hall, Christchurch – sold out
- May 31, Christchurch Town Hall, Christchurch
Tracklist
SIDE A
E Mawehe Ana Au
Kei Te Mārama
Aua Atu Rā
Me Uaua Kē
Korero Māori
Ko Tēnā Ua
Whakamaettia Mai
SIDE B
Ngā Ara Aroha
Huri te Whenua (featuring KOMMI)
Kuru Pounamu
Kāhore He Manu E (featuring Lorde)
Pānaki
Rere Mai Ngā Rau
Pōkaia Rā te Marama
REVIEWS
“Long recognised as one of this country’s finest singers, with a voice that can stretch effortlessly from country rock to operatic pop, Marlon Williams has made his first album entirely in te reo Māori, and it feels like the deepest, most personal work of his career.”
Radio New Zealand
“An album that affords immeasurable listening pleasures, blurring the lines between folk, country, and pop with its timelessness.”
Under The Radar
“With elements of bluegrass, country and traditional Waiata songs, Te Whare Tīwekaweka maps the Pacific tradition in a global context...the result is a record so euphoric and emotional direct that understanding the words is not a prerequisite”
MOJO
“The album we’ve all been waiting for from Marlon Williams – a stunning ode to love, life and connection”
Rolling Stone Australia
“[Marlon Williams] finds a new voice within Te Whare Tīwekaweka and delivers an album of internal clarity—a shelter from the nearing storm, solid ground upon which to stand.”
Paste Magazine
“Te Whare Tīwekaweka is a beautiful love letter to culture and an ongoing immersion in one’s connection to language and art.”
Songlines Magazine
“Marlon crafts a sonic odyssey, guiding us to the heart of his ancestry. His homeland is not described only in words, but painted in sound, where melody, rhythm, and feeling weave a language beyond language, one that speaks directly to the spirit. This is an album that does not ask to be understood – it asks to be felt”
Clash Magazine
“[Te Whare Tīwekaweka] represents an antipodean blend of country and western, folk, rock and roll, and mid-to-late 20th-century pop, connecting the musical dots between America, Australia, and Aotearoa (New Zealand).”
“Te Whare Tīwekaweka is introspective with bursts of joy and heartbreak [...] A standout amid his own catalog, [it] is a unique and emotional piece of work that is quite affecting even without knowing the language.”
AllMusic
“Williams has made a modern classic of global music.”
Klof Magazine
“Reverberates with a longing for connection before the opportunity is lost”
The Guardian
“Williams's album of love and loss songs make the [Māori] language's beauty and resonance a simple, undeniable truth.”
Double J
“Graceful, compelling collection.”
Record Collector
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