A FRONT-line female vocalist for reggae band Tomorrow People says “heading home” to perform at East Coast Vibes is a dream come true. It’s a huge buzz as well for her fans, whanau and friends.
Hamo Dell (left in picture) was born and raised in Invercargill but, she says, Whareponga — where her mother’s from — is home.
“We always came back to the East Coast and Whareponga when I was growing up,” she says.
“Heading back to perform in front of my whanau and friends will be epic. We don’t get to see each other that often, and at ECV I will have everyone in one place at the same time and I love that.”
Her greatest admirers are her parents, Kevin and Hinetu Dell from Ruatoria, who fostered their daughter’s love for singing through brass band and kapa haka.
“My parents were heavily involved with both when I was growing up and would take me to all the practices,” Dell says. “I would follow them around and copy what they were doing, whether it was conducting the band or learning the kapa haka brackets.”
Now aged 23, she knew from a young age that she wanted to sing and as part of the seven-strong Tomorrow People line-up, she delivers a smoking performance in their new video for the 2015 single Get It Back, from the new album Bass And Bassinets.
“I think the beauty of music is that people can find their own truth in songs
and use their own experiences to relate to it,” she says. “I hope my song speaks to those facing hardships about knowing your worth, and realising when enough is enough and that if you decide to leave eventually things will be okay.”
The Vibes show comes after a busy year for the Ngati Porou singer: she graduated from the Southen Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Contemporary Music degree, and travelled with a kapa haka group to China with the New Zealand Brass Band.
A successful audition landed her the lead vocals spot with Tomorrow People and she hasn’t looked back.
“I’ve been able to experience things I have always dreamed of . . . performing at festivals, doing video clips, releasing a single, being a part of an amazing album and that’s not even scraping the surface.
“I’m always learning new things about music, the industry and myself. Being a part of the band has given me the opportunity to accomplish things I’ve always dreamed about.”