Gisborne teen takes out Music Month comp

  • Breaking
  • 31/05/2012

By Lloyd Burr

Parliament is usually a place of serious business but for half an hour at lunchtime today it became a makeshift concert hall.

To celebrate the end of New Zealand Music Month, the winning song of a national song-writing competition was performed by students, teachers and an enthusiastic Youth Affairs Minister.

Gisborne teenager Bruce Taiapa wrote the winning song, entitled ’21 Degrees’ based on a typical summer on the East Coast.

“I wrote my song in my shed thinking about New Zealand things such as the Pohutakawa tree and I applied that to my song,” he says.

He edged out 78 other entries in the competition called Hook, Line and Sing-along, a collaboration between the New Zealand Music Commission and music teachers group MENZA.

He says coming to Parliament to sing the song with his reggae idol Tonga Vaea and the St Mary’s School choir was “pretty awesome”.

“I don’t think I have ever thought of coming here, it’s a good opportunity and good experience,” the 17-year-old says.

“I was buzzing aye, listening to those girls listening to my song, knowing that a whole lot of people around New Zealand will be singing my song, that’s a buzz, that’s awesome.”

Youth Affairs Minister Paula Bennett, who hosted the event, raved about Mr Taiapa’s song and says he has a bright future.

“Look out, that should be on the radio all the time, what a talented young man,” she says.

Today’s performance took Ms Bennett back to her childhood, where she sung in a band and the “odd musical”.

Winning the competition means Mr Taiapa gets $500, which he has earmarked for a new electric guitar.

Despite having to get up and sing in Parliament’s galleria, Mr Taiapa says coming through the front doors was more daunting.

“You have to come through security and I don’t think I have had to come through security for a sing before,” he says.

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source: newshub archive