Whirimako Black - Musician

Whirimako, of Ngai Tuhoe, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Ranginui, Kahungunu, Te Whakatohea, Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Te Arawa, and Ngati Awa iwi (tribal) descent is Aotearoa New Zealand's most acclaimed and prolific Maori language singer, with 5 solo albums to her credit and further guest appearances on 3 other album projects, all in less than 5 years! Her albums have been critically acclaimed in NZ and around the world and her busy tour schedule sees her performing in a wider range of different sized venues.
Whirimako possesses an extraordinary voice that critics have described as
"a rare and delicate instrument",
"sublime...exceptionally expressive",
"pure velvet!",
"owes much to great singers such as Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone and Dionne Warwick".

Over the years Whirimako has won numerous awards and other significant recognitions. A few of these are:

2001 Best MAORI LANGUAGE ALBUM AWARD at the NZ Music Awards.
2004 Winner of the MAIOHA AWARD for Maori music composition and achieved an 'industry first' by having composed 2 out of the three songs selected as finalists that year!
2004 a finalist at the NZ MUSIC AWARDS
2004 finalist in the APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS.
2004 Awarded the TE WAKA TOI AWARD for contribution to Maori Arts
2004 Performed with 1 Giant Leap as headline act at the European Music Day celebrations in Athens as a preliminary to the Olympic Games.
2006 Received the NZ ORDER OF MERIT for her services to Maori music.