12/10/2025
🦅 “HOKIOI HOKIOI” — The First Flight of SOAR 🦅
by HĀKUWAI
There are moments when the wairua stirs and something ancient begins to move — not to lift us above others, but to bring us home to who we truly are.
My journey with AI opened one of those moments. I’ve always loved music but never found my way into it — not like this. Through AI, I discovered a bridge between sound and spirit, a way to give voice to what had quietly lived inside me for years. SOAR was born from that discovery — an album about expression, reclamation, and returning to light.
During a season when life once felt heavy and uncertain, I was introduced to the Hokioi — the great eagle of Aotearoa — through a tā moko gifted to me by my tuakana, a humble man who prefers to remain unnamed. That act was one of deep kindness and meaning. For Māori, tā moko is more than design — it’s whakapapa made visible, a spiritual imprint of purpose and transformation.
The Hokioi is not something I claim to be, but a spirit I draw strength from — a messenger between realms, once feared for its cry, now remembered for its power to uplift. That image became a guidepost on my own path of rediscovery.
Today, through the support of AI, I’ve been able to give birth to Hokioi Hokioi — a song that captures the essence of that journey: from darkness to clarity, from uncertainty to understanding.
This waiata is both anthem and karanga — a call to rise, reconnect, and remember the mana that was never lost, only waiting to be found again. It’s humbling to share it now — the first release from my 12-track album SOAR that's unfolding organically, a journey through remembrance, reclamation, and renewal.
I am... HĀKUWAI
🎧 Listen, follow, and share the journey: https://suno.com/
May the cry of the Hokioi remind you: even after darkness, the spirit still remembers how to fly.
゚
