Kirsten Te Rito

With her rich jazz tones and funktastic debut album, Kirsten Te Rito took home two Waiata Māori Music Awards - Best Female Māori Solo Artist 2012 and highest Radio Play for a Māori Song 2013. Her Debut album Te Rito was also a finalist at the New Zealand Vodafone Music Awards 2013. She has been named as someone to watch.

Kirsten's sound is eclectic and nicely influenced by jazz, hip hop and soul. She describes her debut album as a journey of self-discovery, which has pushed her past and beyond perceived limitations through the coming together of Te Reo Māori and her artistry of singing and songwriting.

Over the last decade Kirsten has featured with many of New Zealand's elite artists, such as The Little Bushman and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and WAI and toured with Australian hip hop crew Bliss n Eso on their Running on Air album release tour. Kirsten's smokey vocals feature on the album Resonator which received a New Zealand Music Award for Best Jazz Album of the year 2011 and on the album Ora by WAI which was nominated for Best Māori Album 2011 at the New Zealand Music Awards.

Kirsten resides in Wellington, New Zealand and is of New Zealand Pakeha and Māori descent from Rongomaiwahine and Ngaāti Kahungunu iwi / tribes.

Source: www.kirstenterito.com