Tomorrow People (band)

Tomorrow People
Origin Wellington, New Zealand
Genres Reggae
Years active 2010-Present
Labels Illegal Musik / Warner Music
Website http://www.tomorrowpeoplereggae.com
Members

Avina Kelekolio (percussion, toasting)
Tana Tupai (lead keys, vocals)
Kenape Saupese (vocals, keys)
Hamo Dell (vocals)
Marcus Abraham (vocals, guitar)
Daniel Sugrue (drums)

Duane Te Whetu (bass)
Past members

Liam Va'ai
Lio Fili
Hennie Tui
Elia Feterika
Analote Faletolu
La'i Lepou
Aaron Davey
Luke Whaanga
Johanna Beazley
Aroha Owens
Greer Samuel
Kahui Toby

Kevin Malagamali'i

Tomorrow People is a 7-piece New Zealand reggae band that formed in 2010. Their debut album ONE[1] was released on 1 June 2012 under Illegal Musik / Warner Music [2] and debuted at Number One on the New Zealand charts.[3] It was later certified Gold.[4][5] They have also released an EP called ONE.5 [6] in 2014, and a full length album called Bass & Bassinets[7][8] in 2015.

History

Early Years

Tomorrow People began as a studio project in 2010 between four friends who were in a previous band together. Avina Kelekolio (production, toasting), Lio Fili (bass, production), Tana Tupai (keys) and Liam Va'ai (vocals) all played together in the covers band Terakey, and in their spare time they recorded some songs at Avina's home studio setup in Wellington. Once they had a handful of original songs, the group uploaded their music to YouTube.[9] The social media public had a listen to "One More Time",[10] "Jammin" [11] and "Sundown Girl" [12] and it wasn't long before they were asked if they could play some live shows.

As they didn't have a live band at the time, Elia Feterika (drums), Analote Faletolu (vocals), Aaron Davey (guitar) and La'i Lepou (keys) were recruited to make up the original line up of Tomorrow People Their first show was an opening slot for New Zealand roots reggae band Three Houses Down in Masterton.[13]

2012: ONE [14]

The band's debut album was entirely written by the original four members. Avina Kelekolio did the overall production while the others contributed ideas in Avina's home studio. Mixing and mastering was all done in-house. The first single to be released was "Feel Alright" featuring Hawaiian band Kolohe Kai and although it was a collaboration, the song was done entirely via sending files and ideas back and forth between New Zealand and Hawaii. The song was one of the first reggae songs to be played on urban radio in New Zealand. A trend which continues to this day. 10 songs from this album were released to radio between 2010-2012.

Before the release of this album, original member Liam Va'ai had left the band to focus on other things. Despite being co-credited with majority of the album, he does not appear in any of the bands music videos.

The album "ONE" stayed in the New Zealand music charts for a span of 52-weeks. It was certified Gold,[5] won a Waiata Music Award [15] and a nomination for Pacific Album of the Year VPMA, and Best Roots Album and the NZVMA. End of year official charts placed the album at #9 [16] across all genres.

2013: ONE.5 [17]

In 2013, Tomorrow People released an 8-track EP titled "ONE.5". This was to be an extension of the original "ONE" album. With new members on board, they varied their style and incorporated elements of R&B and Pop into some of their songs. Hennie Tui contributed his R&B style which can be heard on the songs "So Far" and "All I Wanna Do". The first song to be released was "So Far" and it gave a new direction to the sunshine reggae band. The EP also gave spotlight to new vocalists Kenape Saupese (Kensau), Luke Whaanga and Johanna Tepania.

2015: Bass & Bassinets [8][18]

"Bass & Bassinets" represented a new start and refresh of the band. With only 3 members remaining from the "ONE" album, the band varied their approach to songwriting. With new members Hamo Dell, Daniel Sugrue and Marcus Abraham on board, there was a range of different styles being brought to the table. Avina Kelekolio took on the task of production while Tana Tupai was the executive producer with focus on the overall sound. As the band wanted to collaborate more with other musicians, they enlisted the skills of Sammy Johnson, Sons of Zion, Francis Kora, Paua, Lion Rezz, Papa Pablo and The Prxfile for songwriting and collaborations.

Discography

Albums

Title Album details Peak NZ chart positions
NZ [3]
ONE
  • Released: 1 June 2012
  • Label: Illegal / Warner
  • Format: CD, digital download
  • 13 tracks + 1 iTunes bonus track
  • Certified Gold [5]
 1 [19]
ONE.5 6 [20]
Bass & Bassinets
  • Released: 13 Nov 2015
  • Label: Illegal / Warner
  • Format: CD, digital download
  • 13 Tracks + 1 iTunes bonus track
 1 [21]
"—" denotes an album that did not chart in that country.

Singles released

Year Single Vocalist(s) Album
2010 Jammin Liam Va'ai ONE [14]
Sundown Girl Liam Va'ai / Avina Kelekolio
2011 One More Time Liam Va'ai / Avina Kelekolio
Feel Alright (ft. Kolohe Kai) Liam Va'ai / Roman De Peralta
Tonight Liam Va'ai / Avina Kelekolio
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Liam Va'ai / Greer Samuel Illegal Musik - For Christmas EP
2012 Better Place Liam Va'ai / Avina Kelekolio ONE [14]
Souljah Feeling (ft. Chad Chambers) Luke Whaanga / Chad Chambers
Take It Away Kenape Saupese
2013 Irie Music Luke Whaanga
Souljah Feeling (House Of Shem Remix) Luke Whaanga / Chad Chambers / Te Omeka Perkins Single Only
You Give Me Something (Duet Remix) Johanna Tepania / Kenape Saupese / Avina Kelekolio ONE.5 EP [6]
So Far Kenape Saupese
2014 Fly Away (ft. Tyna Keelan) Kenape Saupese
Given Up Johanna Tepania / Avina Kelekolio
Daydreamer Luke Whaanga
Again & Again Kenape Saupese / Avina Kelekolio Bass & Bassinets [7]
2015 No Rush Kenape Saupese / Avina Kelekolio
No Rush (Papa Pablo Remix) Kenape Saupese / Avina Kelekolio
Get It Back Hamo Dell
2016 Independent Girl Kenape Saupese / Avina Kelekolio
Train To Nowhere (ft. Paua) Marcus Abraham / Jay Whitmore

Featured appearances

Release Album Artist Track
2013 Universal Love Sons of Zion Superman
Aotearoa Reggae All Stars (single only) [22] Various Artists Sensitive To A Smile
Be With You - Remix (single only) Deach Be With You
2014 Raggamuffin VIII Various Artists Souljah Feeling
2015 One Love: The Very Best of Aotearoa Reggae Various Artists Take It Away
2016 One Love 2016 Various Artists Again & Again

Awards

Year Award Nominated work Category Result
2012 Waiata Maori Music Awards "ONE" Best Roots Reggae Album Won [23]
New Zealand Music Awards "ONE" Best Roots Album Nominated [24]
2013 Vodafone Pacific Music Awards "ONE" Best Pacific Group Won [25]
Vodafone Pacific Music Awards "ONE" Best Pacific Album Nominated [26]
2013 Waiata Maori Music Awards "Souljah Feeling (Remix) Best Music Video Nominated [27]
2014 Waiata Maori Music Awards "ONE.5" Best Urban Roots Album Nominated [28]
Waiata Maori Music Awards "Daydreamer" Best Music Video Nominated [28]
2015 Vodafone Pacific Music Awards "Again & Again" Best Pacific Group Nominated [26]
2016 Vodafone Pacific Music Awards "Bass & Bassinets" Best Pacific Group Nominated [13]
Vodafone Pacific Music Awards "Bass & Bassinets" Best Producer Nominated [13]

References

  1. ↑ "One by Tomorrow People on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  2. ↑ "Warner Music New Zealand | Tomorrow People". www.warnermusic.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  3. 1 2 "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  4. ↑ "Tomorrow People prepare for new tour". Māori Television. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  5. 1 2 3 "Warner Music NZ - A huge congratulations to Tomorrow... | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  6. 1 2 "One.5 by Tomorrow People on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  7. 1 2 "Bass & Bassinets by Tomorrow People on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  8. 1 2 "Tomorrow People stand on Lover's Rock". Stuff. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  9. ↑ "YouTube". Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  10. ↑ Sawaii Boy (2010-06-22), Tomorrow People - One More Time [NZ Reggae], retrieved 2016-04-30
  11. ↑ Sawaii Boy (2010-10-21), Tomorrow People - Jammin, retrieved 2016-04-30
  12. ↑ Sawaii Boy (2010-08-23), Tomorrow People - Sundown Girl [NZ Reggae], retrieved 2016-04-30
  13. ↑ Cardy, Tom (2012-06-07). "Tomorrow People a band with a future". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  14. 1 2 3 muzic.net.nz. "Tomorrow People - One Album Review - New Zealand Music Articles". www.muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  15. ↑ "Waiata Maori Music Awards". www.nzonair.govt.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  16. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  17. ↑ muzic.net.nz. "Tomorrow People - New Zealand Musicians & Bands". www.muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  18. ↑ muzic.net.nz. "Tomorrow People - New Zealand Musicians & Bands". www.muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  19. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  20. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  21. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  22. ↑ "Sensitive to a Smile (song)". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2016-04-30.
  23. ↑ "Waiata Maori Music Awards winners revealed | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  24. ↑ "Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards | Best Roots Album 2012". www.nzmusicawards.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  25. ↑ www.cactuslab.com, Cactuslab,. "2013 Pacific Music Awards Finalists | Amplifier NZ Music". www.amplifier.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  26. 1 2 "Pacific Music Awards". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2016-03-14.
  27. ↑ "Waiata Māori Music Awards". Waiata Māori Music Awards. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  28. 1 2 "Waiata Māori Music Awards". Waiata Māori Music Awards. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
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