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Off the back of winning this year’s Taumata o te Horapa Radio Airplay Record Of The Year at the 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards, RIIKI REID returns with new single ‘Pāinaina’, out now. Arriving in time for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week, ‘Pāinaina’ marks RIIKI’S first song written entirely in Te Reo Māori.

Drawing from dance music spanning the 70’s, 90’s through to the 00’s, RIIKI and collaborators Pere Wihongi and Devin Abrams began researching the history of Māori-language dance and disco music, discovering Dalvanius Prime’s ‘Voodoo Lady’ – a track by one of Aotearoa’s most influential Māori artists.

With credits on hits such as ‘Poi E’ alongside his work with Patea Māori Club Dalvanius was a huge advocate for Te Reo and Te Ao Māori. RIIKI who has long admired his work, wanted to bring a piece of that musical history into something new, so they sampled a short instrumental loop from ‘Voodoo Lady’ and built ‘Pāinaina’ around it.

Adding to her collection of sun-soaked summer anthems, the track follows ‘Sauna’, RIIKI’S first single as an independent artist which hit #2 on the Aotearoa Top 20 Singles Chart in May. ‘Pāinaina’ continues the colourful, bright and ambitious new era of RIIKI REID, this time putting Te Reo Māori right at home on the dancefloor.

“My hope is that by releasing this track during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, it gives listeners in the pop/dance world exposure to our reo; to push the language and culture forward. Imagine if waiata in this genre was sung in all corners of the globe.” – RIIKI REID

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