“Tell me your mountain, tell me your river, show me your home.”
In an exclusive studio session at Whakaata Māori, SIX60 performed their new track “Same Dirt”, a song rooted in whakapapa and identity. Following the success of “Pepeha”, the band continues to explore these cultural connections, reminding us that we all share the same breath and walk the same ground.
The Heart of the Song
While the lyrics are in English, the wairua is 100% Māori.
Lead singer Matiu Walters explains the song grew from explaining the beauty of a pepeha to friends overseas. While identifying with a mountain or river is a daily reality for Māori, he realised this deep connection to the land is a revolutionary concept for much of the world. The song serves as a “humbler,” focusing on grounded human connection.
realised
The lyrics hit the band members in different ways.
For lead guitarist Ji Fraser, initially viewed the “mountain” through a Western lens as a personal struggle or an “Everest” to climb. He later realised that in this context, it isn’t a hurdle; it’s a landmark of belonging that identifies where you are from and who looks over you.
For bass player Chris Mac, emphasises that by using English, the band translates the feeling of a pepeha for those who didn’t grow up with it. He believes that focusing on the “story” behind the landmarks, rather than just the names of schools or rivers, allows international listeners to truly understand and step into a Māori worldview of belonging.
Moving away from big studio effects and lengthy production schedules, they recorded the entire project live in just three days. Mac jokes that it did not just happen by luck; it actually took “16 years of experience” for the band to reach a level of chemistry where they could move that fast.
There is a feeling of the band coming full circle, returning to the rootsy feel of the 2011 Gold album. Matiu describes this as a conscious return to the “Māori strum” that natural, human sound that happens when a few mates get together with a guitar in a room.
As the music heads out to the public, the band is happy to step back and let the listeners find their own meaning. Matiu believes that if the songs strike a chord and make people feel something real, then the band has done its job.
