TEEKS aka Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi born October 26, 1993, a Scorpio. He is an New Zealand singer, songwriter, and composer of Māori descent (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui).
His sophomore album Lovers Comet is out now via Sony Music.
voice note
if your new single Overdose had a colour, what colour would it be ?
If the song had a colour, it would be yellow, goldish tones, I think. Anything that feels like the sun or sunlight.
do you create to be understood, or to understand yourself ? who do you create for ?
I create first and foremost for myself, I think. It might be a little bit self-serving.
Um, but I do create in order to understand myself better, to understand what I'm feeling. I create for emotional release, for healing, and for catharsis. But the duty of making art is that when I am authentic and true to myself and what I'm feeling, the process of letting a song out into the world is symbiotic because other people are able to connect with the music, with the song through their own lived experience.
And it is – I think – the beauty of being able to create.
what did you learn about yourself in the process of making the music video ?
What I learned about myself in the process of making this music video is – more than anything – trusting myself, trusting my instincts, trusting my intuition. I feel like I have a pretty clear vision about what I want when it comes to the extension of my music; this being the visual extension of my music.
But the more that I participate and get involved in the direction of my music videos, the more empowered I feel in my own ability. Because I don't necessarily have any experience or training in film or anything like that, but I know what I want.
So I think in this last music video it was a reminder for me to trust my gut.
Always trust my gut.
what is one non-negotiable for your creative process/practice ?
One non-negotiable for me when it comes to my creative practice and creative process is to keep good company – to have the right people around.
I think it's really important in order to cultivate the right energy and the right frequency when you are channeling and bringing these songs into existence. You need to have the right people around you and the right energy around you.
written
can you describe the last dream you remember
I hardly ever have dreams and if I do I can barely remember them. So no I can’t.
what's the last tarot card you pulled
Does a Pokemon card count? Mega Zeraora was my last pull.
where do you seek comfort
The ocean.
what are you hyper-fixated on at the moment
Sardines on sourdough with raw onion. I eat it almost every morning.
what is the last piece of music you want to hear before its lights out
Sade - Like a Tattoo
what makes you rage
Disrespect.
what’s your most tightly held belief
The indigenous world-view is essential to healing ourselves and the planet.
what is your most prized possession
My guitar.
what book(s) and / or album(s) are required reading for a good life
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
what’s the last thing that made you properly laugh
Probably something I saw in TikTok.
describe the most spiritual experience you’ve ever had
Seeing D’Angelo live.
what is the last thing you googled
Food near me.
what do you miss the most about being a teenager
Not having bills to pay.
what did your childhood bedroom look like
I shared it with my two younger brothers. It was messy.
what piece of art has made the biggest impact on you
An anime called Demon Slayer. It is a work of art and I will die on that hill.
what would you like to be reincarnated as
Some type of bird so that I know how it feels to fly.
who is your biggest inspiration
Musically I would say Sade.
have you ever had a supernatural experience
When I was young we lived in a house in Rotorua that was definitely haunted. I heard voices and saw spirits.
do you believe in god
I think the term god comes with connotations but I believe in a higher power, yes.
what’s your favourite idiom
Don’t beat a dead horses bush.
what is your relationship to the internet
I love it and hate it. Particularly social media. I think if having an online presence wasn’t important as an artist I wouldn’t be on it.
leave us with one piece of advice, babe
Fall in love with the process. Forget about the outcome.
(bonus question: dream blunt rotation ?)
Erykah Badu
Tame Iti
Keke Palmer
Rick Rubin
Teeks sophomore album Lovers Comet is out Friday 30 October via Sony Music
TEEKS AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
NOV 10 - Astor Theatre | Perth
NOV 12 - The Forum | Melbourne
NOV 14 - The Princess Theatre | Brisbane
NOV 18 - Sydney Opera House | Sydney
NOV 19 - Her Majesty’s Theatre | Adelaide
Words by Isabelle Webster
Photos by Simone Taylor
See more from TEEKS here