Mama, ooooooooh....
You may think you know "Bohemian Rhapsody," and you know exactly where every "Galileo" and "Figaro" and "Magnifico" lives.
And, you might.
But you don't know this song like you're about to.
Check it out here:
Wow!!! te reo Māori rendition of Bohemian Rhapsodywww.youtube.com
This Māori group sings their own version completely a cappella. Listen to it-the tight harmonies, the familiar counterpoints, and watch how into it they are.
It's truly an amazing experience.
Who are the Māori?
They are the indigenous people of New Zealand. This particular group is called Hātea Kapa Haka and they're...just amazing.
Here's another performance of theirs from 7 years ago:
Hatea Kapa Haka Groupwww.youtube.com
According to Newshub, Hātea Kapa Haka collaborated with musical artist William Waiirua to create this "Bohemian Rhapsody" entirely in the Te Reo language and as a standing tribute to Queen and to the recently released film Bohemian Rhapsody.
The group also made a video with Waiirua showing their collaboration:
It's SO COOL, right?
The group, who hails from Whangarei, performed this set live at New Zealand's national kapa haka festival, Te Matatini, in Wellington in late February.
The festival reportedly brings 46 kapa haka groups together to compete.
Here's more.
Perennially popular Bohemian Rhapsody saw a resurgence in sales and downloads with the release of the film of the same name. The Oscar winning film is now available here in multiple formats.
And this performance of Queen's most famous piece of music was a highlight for people this year.
Over 60,000 people reportedly attended the festival this year.
Ngā Tūmanako from West Auckland was the 2019 winner of Te Matatini.
We love your work, Hātea Kapa Haka!
We can't wait to see what you do next!