Titanium's Jordi home for Showbands in the Pa

HEART THROB: Jordi Webber will perform with Titanium at Showbands in the Pa. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

A lot has changed in the past year for teen heart-throb Jordi Webber.

It's been just over 12 months since the Rotorua 19-year-old was chosen for boy band Titanium and embarked on a whirlwind journey which has included hit singles, tours and barely being able to walk down the street without being approached by teen fans.

Next weekend, Webber and the other five band members will return to Rotorua to perform at Te Puia New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute's (NZMACI) Showbands in the Pa concert.

Webber said he was looking forward to returning to Rotorua to perform after a busy year.

Just this week, the band performed at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

It's the second time they performed but Webber said this year they felt more at home there.

"We were there last year but we were more like spectators. People still didn't know who we were and those who did, didn't take us seriously."

Webber said this time around they felt they'd really earned their right to be there and perform on stage.

"We've done so much together in the last year and grown a lot together as a group."

Born and raised in Rotorua, the Te Arawa, Ngati Pikiao, Ngati Raukawa and Te Ati Awa descendant says he is looking forward to returning to his hometown for the Showbands concert which celebrates the musical legacy of his iwi, Te Arawa, and combines the best of the Maori showbands era.

The concert is part of Te Puia's 50th anniversary celebrations of its establishment under an Act of Parliament.

"I'm privileged that we will be performing at a milestone like that [50th anniversary]. It makes it extra special that it's in my hometown too."

Webber said he tried to get home as often as he could and always enjoyed performing on his home turf.

"You see a lot of familiar faces and feel really grounded."

The concert is the only gig planned in Rotorua for the summer. The band will perform at the Parachute Music Festival next year and hoped to tour again.

He said they were also concentrating on revamping their music style and were starting work on a new single next week. The boys lived and gigged together and had seen their chemistry as a group grow because of that.

Webber initially planned to pursue a career in acting before being selected for the group. He said one day he would still like to do that but for now he was loving the music business.

Titanium will perform a 45-minute set at the event and will also be available for signing autographs prior to the event. Fans of the popular boy band can expect some amazing harmonies from Webber and the other five members of the band - Zac Taylor, Andrew Papas, Shaquille Paranihi-Ngauma, Haydn Linsley and T.K. Paradza - as well as a grand finale featuring all of the evening's entertainers.

The concert will also feature original showbands group, Kairo; The Trio, led by Howard Morrison Junior; as well as contemporary artist Ria Hall. Temuera Morrison, also from Rotorua, will MC the event. Showbands in the Pa will be on Saturday, with gates opening at 6pm.

Concert tickets are available through Ticketmaster. More information is available on Te Puia's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/tepuia.newzealand.