Rob Ruha

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Rob Ruha
Birth nameRobert Ruha
Born1980 (age 43–44)[1]
Wharekahika, Gisborne District
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • music director
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • bass
Years active2011–present
LabelsInDigiNation Music

Rob Ruha (born 1980), is a New Zealand musician from Wharekahika, Gisborne District. He debuted as a solo musician in 2013, and is known for his singles sung in te Reo Māori, including "Kalega" (2017), "Ka Mānu" (2019), "35" with Ka Hao (2021), and "Taera" (2021). Ruha worked as the music director for the Māori language version of the Walt Disney Pictures films Moana and The Lion King.

Biography[edit]

Ruha grew up in Wharekahika, Gisborne District.[2] He is of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāti Porou descent,[1] and also has Ngāti Rangiteaorere and Tūhourangi ancestry.[3] He grew up performing kapa haka, and as a teenager, Ruha moved to Porirua, Wellington,[1] and was inspired to become a musician while attending Mana College.[4] Ruha returned to Gisborne to complete high school,[4] and at 17, won the Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival (Te Matatini) award for Best Waiata Tira as a part of the Waihīrere Māori Club.[1] In the year 2000, Ruha led his first kapa haka group, Tūranga Wahine Tūranga Tāne, who performed at Te Matatini, and by the next year began judging the competition.[1]

In 2004, Ruha moved to Hawaii to manage the Aotearoa section of the Polynesian Cultural Center.[1] In 2007, Ruha graduated with a master's degree in Mātauranga Māori.[5]

One of Ruha's first releases was the song "Hotuhotu", which he recorded with Ria Hall, which became one of the most played songs in te reo Māori on New Zealand radios in 2011.[1] During a 2012 trip to Hawaii to judge a kapa haka competition, Ruha performed as a solo musician for the first time.[5] In 2013, he began working as a solo musician after receiving mentorship and guidance by musician Maisey Rika,[2] releasing his solo debut single "Pōnga Rā" on Waitangi Day 2014.[2] His debut extended play Tiki Tapu was recorded at a home studio in Hamurana on the shores of Lake Rotorua, and produced alongside Michael Barker of Split Enz.[2] His debut album Pūmau followed shortly afterwards in 2015.

In 2016, Ruha worked as a music consultant and performer for the soundtrack of the Lee Tamahori-directed film Mahana,[1] and in 2017 was the musical director for the Te Reo Māori translation of the Walt Disney Pictures film Moana.[1] Ruha's second album Survivance, a soul and R&B collaboration with the Witch Dr., was led by the single "Kalega". The song's title is a Te Tai Rāwhiti Māori slang term meaning "too much".[6]

In January 2020, Ruha produced released a live album of gospel waiata in te Reo, sung supergroup Mōhau.[7] The album won the Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo Award and the Best Worship Artist Te Kaipuoro Kairangi Toa award at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards.[8] In 2021, the Ruha-produced Te Tai Rāwhiti choir Ka Hao released their debut single "35", which became a hit single in New Zealand, gaining popularity on TikTok during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week).[9] Later that year, Ruha released his third studio album, entitled Preservation of Scenery.[10] "35" and "Taera", a single from Preservation of Scenery, were two of the top 10 most commercially successful songs sung in Te Reo Māori for 2021.[11]

In 2022, Ruha worked as the co-musical director of The Lion King Reo Māori (2022), alongside Pere Wihongi.[12]

Personal life[edit]

Ruha is married to music manager Cilla Ruha, who he met at high school.[4] Together they have four children.[2] His entire family speaks te reo Māori as their first language.[13] He lives at Te Kaha in the Bay of Plenty.[13]

Ruha practices raranga (traditional weaving) and painting, which he learnt from his grandmothers at the age of seven.[1]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Title Album details Peak chart positions
NZ
[14] 		NZ
Artist
[15]
Pūmau
  • Released: 22 December 2015[16]
  • Label: Rob Ruha
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 — 17
Survivance
(Rob Ruha and the Witch Dr.)
  • Released: 1 December 2017[17]
  • Label: Rob Ruha
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 — 10
Preservation of Scenery
  • Released: 8 October 2021[18]
  • Label: InDigiNation Music
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 39 12
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Extended plays[edit]

Title Album details Peak chart positions
NZ
Artist
[15]
Tiki Tapu
  • Released: 28 March 2014[19]
  • Label: Rob Ruha
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 `5

Singles[edit]

As lead artist[edit]

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
NZ
Hot
[20] 		NZ
Artist
[21]
"Hotuhotu"[1]
(Robert Ruha & Ria Hall) 		2011 — — Mīharo: He Kohikohinga Waiata Māori
"Pōnga Rā"[2] 2014 — 12 Tiki Tapu
"Tiki Tapu"[3] — 8
"Waiaroha"[22]
(featuring Maisey Rika) 		2015 — 15 Pūmau
"Kariri"[23]
(featuring Tiki Taane) 		2016 — —
"Kalega"[6]
(Rob Ruha and the Witch Dr.) 		2017 — — Survivance
"Taka Rawa"[24]
(featuring Ka Hao) 		2021 — —[A] Preservation of Scenery
"Taera"[24] 11 —[B]
"That's Where I'll Be"[27] 2022 4 19
"Ka Taria"
(Rob Ruha and Drax Project) 		17 20 Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

As featured artist[edit]

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
NZ
[28] 		NZ
Artist
[21]
"Te Matatini Ki Te Ao"[29]
(among National Kapa Haka Festival 2019) 		2018 —[C] —[D] Non-album singles
"Ka Mānu"[32]
(Bella Kalolo, Maisey Rika, Majic Pāora, Ria Hall, Rob Ruha, Seth Haapu, Troy Kingi, The Witch Dr.) 		2019 —[E] 20
"Stay"[34]
(among Tūtahi) 		2020 —[F] 16
"35"
(Ka Hao featuring Rob Ruha) 		2021 12 1 Ka Hao: One Tira, One Voice
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Taka Rawa" did not enter the New Zealand artists top 20 chart, but peaked at number 7 on the Hot 20 NZ Artists Singles Chart.[25]
  2. ^ "Taera" did not enter the New Zealand artists top 20 chart, but peaked at number 2 on the Hot 20 NZ Artists Singles Chart.[26]
  3. ^ "Te Matatini Ki Te Ao" did not enter the New Zealand top 40 chart, but peaked at number 31 on the Hot 40 Singles Chart.[30]
  4. ^ "Te Matatini Ki Te Ao" did not enter the New Zealand artists top 20 chart, but peaked at number 8 on the Hot 20 NZ Artists Singles Chart.[31]
  5. ^ "Ka Mānu" did not enter the New Zealand top 40 chart, but peaked at number 20 on the Hot 40 Singles Chart.[33]
  6. ^ "Stay" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 10 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[35]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Rob Ruha's Biography". The Arts Foundation. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Waipara, Tama (December 2014). "Rob Ruha: That's Us". NZ Musician. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b Smithies, Grant (16 June 2015). "15 minutes with... Rob Ruha". Stuff. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Blank, Anton (16 January 2022). "Rob Ruha: The man who helped Tairāwhiti take over TikTok". Stuff. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  5. ^ a b Kutia, Kahu (12 September 2021). "Rob Ruha". Audio Culture Iwi Waiata. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Rob Ruha and the Witch Dr. Welcome Summer with New Single 'Kalega'". New Zealand Music Commission. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  7. ^ "'Top Māori artists lift spirits with new visual album Mōhau". RNZ. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  8. ^ Tyson, Jessica (17 November 2020). "'The industry is just catching up' - Rob Ruha on te reo in mainstream music industry". NZ Herald. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  9. ^ Barton, Monika (23 September 2021). "'A truly wonderful feeling': Te Reo Māori music dominates NZ's official charts". Newshub. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Rob Ruha Announces New Album 'Preservation Of Scenery'". muzic.net.nz. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Te Reo Māori O Te Rārangi 10 O Runga: End of Year Charts 2021". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Lion King Reo Māori premiere: 'A dream come true'". Radio New Zealand. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  13. ^ a b Reid, Poppy (22 October 2021). "The hard-won future of New Zealand's native language is in good hands, and music is at the forefront". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Discography ROB RUHA". Recorded Music NZ. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  15. ^ a b Peak positions for Rob Ruha's albums on the NZ artists top 20 albums chart:
  16. ^ "Pūmau". iTunes. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  17. ^ NikNak Media (27 November 2017). "Rob Ruha and The Witch Dr. to release new album SURVIVANCE". Scoop. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Preservation of Scenery". iTunes. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Tiki Tapu - EP". iTunes. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  20. ^ Peak positions for Rob Ruha's singles on the NZ Hot singles chart:
  21. ^ a b Peak positions for Rob Ruha's singles on the NZ Artist singles chart:
  22. ^ "Rob Ruha and Maisey Rika". RNZ. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  23. ^ Black, Taroi (29 September 2016). "I wrote Kariri to reinvigorate interest in history – Rob Ruha". Te Ao: Māori News. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Rob Ruha Announces New Album 'Preservation Of Scenery'". Muzic.net.nz. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  25. ^ "Hot 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Hot 20 NZ Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Rob Ruha on his new single "Thats where I'll Be"". Radio New Zealand. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  28. ^ "Discography KA HAO FEAT. ROB RUHA". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  29. ^ "From Te Matatini to the world". Te Ao: Māori News. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Hot 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  31. ^ "Hot 20 NZ Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  32. ^ Black, Taroi (11 August 2019). "NZ artists band together with new song 'Ka Mānu' for Ihumātao". Te Ao: Māori News. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  33. ^ "Hot 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  34. ^ Brookes, Emily (15 April 2020). "Anna Coddington, Stan Walker and other Kiwi artists release coronavirus lockdown charity single, Stay". Stuff. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  35. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  36. ^ "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
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