"Growing up, I listened to my koro's music: Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder. I remember feeling that old soul and the naturalness of each of their talents and voices."
Jackson Owens is set to perform at his first festival since the Omicron outbreak, next weekend in Kaitaia. Photo / Supplied
The EP is Owens' first full project with indigenous-led independent record label, Five AM,
"I feel like we all connected when we started working on this EP and the vibes, the energy, the music they grew up on. The music I grew up on sort of just mixed well together."
While working with the Auckland based record label, Owens said he was able to lead with the vision he had in mind for his EP.
"They weren't trying to tell me, 'you need to sing this, you need to sing that. They said, 'you take the reins and we will support you.'"
Head of Five AM Rory Noble says Owens has the potential to bring Māori culture into the mainstream.
"Jackson is an old soul with a fresh look and sound. He's a humble family man but has that once-in-a-generation raw talent and voice. I really think it won't be long until he takes on the world."
Looking to the future, Owens hopes to release more music in te reo Māori and explore his own te reo Māori journey.
"It's good to see Māori music out in the mainstream. That means a lot to me that the reo is all over the music. It's cool."
Last year, he was one of 30 artists who joined forces with Waiata/Anthems to release several new singles in te reo Māori.
Owens released 'He Aroha Hinemoa', which reached number three on the te reo Māori singles charts in collaboration with Sons of Zion.
"Te ao Māori means everything to me. It's who I am," he says.
With his own experience with mental health, Owens said his EP tells a story and hopes his music will connect with his fans.
