Five Best Anika Moa Songs for Children

New Zealand singer-songwriter Anika Moa was a curious choice to bid for stardom in the US market. She’s now a tattooed, coarse-mouthed entertainer, who has branched into TV presenting and children’s music.

Moa moved into making children’s music after having her own children; “I had to listen to the Wiggles for a year. Hot potato, hot potato. Hot potato, hot potato. I wanted to stab someone in the head.” While children’s music is often heavily synthetic and perky, Moa’s albums are simply presented, revolving around acoustic guitar and Moa’s larger-than-life personality. Moa’s part Maori, and her songs often feature Te Reo (the Maori language), so I’m unsure how well they translate into other cultures. But in New Zealand, Moa is probably as well known for her children’s music as for her adult albums.

After another summer holiday, replete with Anika Moa car playlists, here are five of my favourite songs from her children’s albums:

Five best Anika Moa songs for children

#5 Taniwha, Taniwha

‘Taniwha, Taniwha’ is a great encapsulation of Moa’s methods. It’s rooted in New Zealand culture. The Taniwha is a mythical Maori monster. It’s also full of New Zealand slang. It’s driven by Moa’s personality, as her Taniwha is alternately friendly and hungry.

#4 My Nana’s Farm

Ever get sick of seeing the same old cows, sheep, and pigs on farms? At least they won’t eat you…

#3 Little Bird

I’ve generally opted for the memorable, uptempo songs on this list. But a strength of Moa’s children’s albums is balancing upbeat children’s songs with more subdued material. The words are simple, but this low-key and pretty song would fit on Moa’s adult-oriented albums. It’s a respite from sensory overload for grown-ups.

#2 Tahi, Rua, Toru, Wha

Speeding up each verse, until the song becomes impossibly fast, is a great gimmick for a children’s album. If you don’t recognise the words in the title, they’re Maori for the numbers one to four.

#1 The Nigh Nighs Song

An upbeat lullaby is an oxymoron, but Moa makes it work. The song’s most memorable for her astonishing range of baby noises – it’s extra fun to sing along to all the “wahs” and “wiwiwis”.

Do you wish that Moa would hurry up and release a third volume of children’s songs? Is there some other children’s music that you recommend?