Fearless and formidable _{by Madelaine Empson}

Celebrated Aotearoa singer-songwriter Theia (Ngaati Tiipaa, Ngaati Aamaru, Te Ahiwaru), the force behind the award-winning project TE KAAHU, unveiled her debut album Girl, In A Savage World in November last year. The critically acclaimed bilingual work is billed as her most powerful to date and scored not just a spot on the Official Top 20 Aotearoa Albums Chart, but the number three position on Rolling Stone Australia’s The 50 Best New Zealand Albums of 2025.

Embarking upon her first solo headline tour in eight years, Theia will be joined by a full band to perform songs from Girl, In A Savage World plus more favourites from her back catalogue at Meow on the 5^th of March. Get ready for a show of extremes, she says. “You’ll feel warm and held like you’re in the womb, but you’ll also be getting your puukana on!”

Congrats on the success of your debut album! Did you envision such a strong and positive response?

I was just so busy last year trying to get the album finished that I didn’t really have much time to think about what the response might be. And then when it came to actually releasing it, it was such a whirlwind and was difficult to breathe let alone take it all in. Now that the dust has settled and I’ve had time to reflect, I am so thrilled with the response. In this digital age of mass consumption, I know it’s a lot to expect people to listen to a whole body of work from beginning to end, but I am grateful to each and every person who has taken the time to really sit with this album. Hopefully more people will discover it as time goes on.

What feedback has most resonated with you about Girl, In A Savage World and why? 

One thing is the fact that people have really understood my vision with this record – what I was aiming to achieve sonically and lyrically. A couple of reviews have totally nailed it and that’s kind of blown me away, because sometimes it can feel like you’re just screaming into a void. So, yes, indeed it feels fab knowing that there are people who have understood Girl, In A Savage World and all her complex layerings.

These will be your last local shows for the foreseeable. Please tell me about playing Canada after the Aotearoa tour!  

I am very excited about my upcoming Turtle Island (Canada) shows. One of the first festivals is in Inuvik, which is the gateway to the western Arctic Circle. I will be headlining as well as leading workshops on the importance of bilingual songwriting for Indigenous resistance and resilience as well as sitting on a panel with other First Nations folks about Cultural Appropriation vs Appreciation. I feel very blessed that music has taken me to some wonderful places and communities overseas – places and peoples that I would never have had the chance to experience otherwise.