GENEVA AM Shares New Song Toitū Te Tiriti
July 4, 2025: Geneva AM is the moniker of Geneva Alexander-Marsters (she/her, Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Aitutaki, Palmerston), an award winning producer, beat maker and vocalist based in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Her bilingual approach to songwriting has been prominent throughout her musical career, most notably with the band SoccerPractise (2012-2018) and her debut release IHO (Waiata / Anthems). IHO went on to win Te Tohu Puoro o te reo Māori (Favourite Song featuring Te Reo Māori) at the 2023 Student Radio Network Awards. In 2024, she released the single 'T(M)²I' (Tangaroa Made Me Ill) in two versions (te reo and English), followed by ' Pikipiki ' which amassed over 200,000 streams on Spotify. A seasoned live performer, Geneva AM has recently performed alongside Anna Coddington, Ladi6 and Suzi Cato.
Today Geneva AM releases Toitū Te Tiriti, a call to action to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an invitation for everyone to speak te reo Māori. Toitū Te Tiriti is taken from her debut album Pikipiki (out August 15th on digital and Vinyl LP).
Agile and precise string arrangements convey defiance and resistance while volleying with Geneva AM's powerful and dynamic vocal performance throughout Toitū Te Tiriti. The song is a call to action for everyone to honour Te Tiriti and an invitation for everyone to speak Māori. Using repetition in a simple lyrical format, Geneva AM refers to the mountains, rivers and the people as a reminder to the listener of the natural landmarks which feature in a pepeha.
Geneva explains 'For this waiata, I wanted to make a series of statements because I believe the power of singing words out loud can positively influence people who may need to draw strength and keep going with their kaupapa. I made this waiata very quickly in response to witnessing the greed of our current coalition government. Watching the Toitū movement unfold last year was a monumental part of our history, especially as we saw the Treaty Principles Bill get thrown out.'
'The overall message of this single is a window into the theme around the album. 'All hope is not lost'. 'Pikipiki' means to ascend, this body of work is about overcoming obstacles and never giving up. Now more than ever we need to stand for what we believe in and support each other through this next stage of humanity'
Toitū Te Tiriti was composed with help from Eric Scholes (who regularly performs with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and NZ Barok Orchestra) and features performances by a seven piece string ensemble.
'I wanted strings for this waiata because they are capable of harnessing these deep layers of immense emotion. The lyrics are quite simple and repetitive. I'm a pretty blunt person! Having these layers of tones painting the emotions which swirl underneath the surface like a rolling ocean really holds together this waiata in a way I could never have imagined!'
'Eric and I have worked together for almost 20 years in a couple of covers bands (shoutouts Coco-Rocky) and I knew in the back of my mind that it would be cool to work on something like this with him one day. I told Eric that regardless of what he comes up with, I trust him. We talked a lot about all of the complicated feelings around Te Tiriti (especially during the lead up to the epic resistance to the Treaty Principles Bill that was introduced). On one hand I see this initial promise that was made by our collective ancestors to live in harmony and then on the other there is no denying the historical acts of violence that continuously broke the premise of that promise. 185 years later we can see the results of this partnership between Tangata Whenua and The Crown. I feel angry and sad about it but I have to remain hopeful and strong so that we can uphold the mana of Te Tiriti for the next generation.'
Scholes concurs 'I wanted to get to the core message of the song – a feeling of defiance, stoicism, hope and start from there. I worked on it over many months, taking long breaks between sessions so it felt fresh and each time I would have different inspiration – Tchaikovsky, Rameau, Joy Division to name a few. At times I would try to follow voice leading rules and at others I just went full power chord.'
'I didn't want to stray too far from Geneva's original conception so I applied a bit of a punk ethos of keeping it simple. Drawing from our background of playing rhythm based music, I treated the strings like a rhythm section in a band. Keeping the groove driving and then adding some melodic stuff in the interlude. I had this idea of a furiously busy string texture cooking up a storm for the vocal part to simmer and soar on top.'
He reflects 'I'm thrilled to have worked on something with such depth and meaning and also to collaborate with Geneva in this capacity has been really special.'
'Hearing the first take made me well up,' says Geneva. 'It's so uplifting to hear, especially with everything that is happening in the world right now. Initially I made something that was purely for my own survival and now I am ready to gift this waiata to everyone.'
On August 15 Geneva AM will release her debut album ' Pikipiki ' which intends to uplift the wairua and encourage the listener to overcome life's obstacles. Geneva AM will be playing across many genres which serve as a backdrop for her strong vocals and bilingual lyrics. She has also paid homage to waiata she grew up with, providing a modern treatment of Purea Nei by Hirini Melbourne, Pokarekare Ana by the returning soldiers of WWI and Tutira Mai Ngā Iwi by Wiremu Te Tau Huata.
Pikipiki takes a piecemeal approach to genre, utilising Classical, Dance, Drum'n'Bass, and Emo Rock to accompany new bilingual songs and reimagined covers of Aotearoa favourites—such as 'Pokarekare Ana,' 'Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi,' and 'Pūrea Nei.' The album features a number of collaborations, with appearances from Mara TK, Hawkins, Samara Alofa, and Rewi McLay, alongside the puoro of Tyson Campbell (Pikipiki); The Deadly Sins arranged by Eric Scholes (Toitū Te Tiriti); Ruby Walsh (Na Noise, Lips); Fiona Campbell (Guardian Singles, Coolies) and Lani Purkis (Elemeno P) on 'Pokarekare Ana.'
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