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Loopy Tunes (Preschool) Music are Christchurch-based sister music duo, Siu Williams-Lemi and Leah Williams-Partington. With ancestral links to the largest Māori tribe in Aotearoa, Ngāpuhi, and the friendly islands of Tonga, the sisters bring a super-fun cultural vibe to the children’s music world, and are recognised for their reorua/bilingual Māori and Pasifika children’s waiata, sung in their beautifully harmonious style.
They had their start in children’s music through a weekly outreach preschool music programme they helped create, fourteen years ago, which continues still – now running seven weekly bilingual music sessions during the school term.
In 2019, the sisters recorded and released their first 13-track children’s music album, “Kākāriki: Simply Us” and to date have released over 160 songs! Earlier this month (October), they released another album, thanks to support from NZ on Air Music, the next colour in their Rainbow Collection of children’s music, “Kahurangi: Little Treasures” – a 23-song assortment of gorgeous wee tunes, mostly bilingual, that young tamariki and the young at heart will enjoy! This “Kahurangi” album joins their “Kōwhai: Kōrero Mai” EP, released in 2023 in collaboration with Aotearoa’s most loved Whaea, Suzy Cato, and the team at Ko Taku Reo: Deaf Education NZ; as well as their “Whero: Kirihimete|Kilisimasi“ Christmas album, released in 2022, filled with uniquely bilingual Christmas waiata that are a mix of originals and translated festive classics, and includes their first original Tongan Christmas song, “Muimui Ki He Fetu’u“, co-written with their Māmā.
Their repertoire also includes a 100-song collaborative project released in early May 2021, with the ‘Pasifika Beatz’ team at Whānau Āwhina Plunket, thanks to funding from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. This saw the duo release 10 albums in 10 different Pasifika languages, including Rotuman, Kiribati and Tuvaluan. The albums were created to support the amazing mahi the ‘Pasifika Beatz’ team do, in running preschool music programmes for Pacific Island whānau, through Auckland libraries, and more! It’s also an amazing toolkit that showcases the beautiful music and languages of our Pacific neighbours, and the action YouTube videos that accompany each song allows us all to learn about these languages and cultures in a fun and engaging way!
Between 2019-2020, Leah and Siu released a ‘Rainbow Book Collection’ of bilingual Māori children’s picture books, based on five of their original waiata. They also enjoyed taking Māori and Pasifika Music Time at four different schools, in Ōtautahi, in 2020, thanks to the Creatives in Schools programme. Collaborations with other Children’s Music Arists and such organisations as E Tū Tāngata, has also enabled the sisters to broaden their reach. This includes a beautiful waiata with Australian Children’s Music champion, Benny Time, where they and their combined six tamariki, plus two, all featured in a song written by Benny, called, “How Great We Are“.
The music duo enjoy running music sessions at local preschools, as well as performing at events, festivals and markets around Christchurch, and beyond! Earlier this year, they toured Dunedin and have just come back from touring preschools in the Wellington region, with performances in Levin and Palmerston North. In 2023 they also toured South Canterbury and Nelson/Blenheim. They loved performing on the Aotearoa Stage at the 2024 and 2023 Pasifika Festival, in Auckland, have enjoyed another mini tour with Auckland libraries and several Matariki performances, including a couple of epic Matariki with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra concerts, earlier this year!
Thanks to support once again from NZ on Air Music, the sisters are looking forward to recording their next album, “Mā: Matariki for Tamariki”, which will be slow released, from February 2025 – they are VERY excited about this project! They are looking forward to their 2025 tours to North Canterbury and Northland/Far North and continuing their brand new fortnightly YouTube series, “Music Time with Loopy Tunes”!
It continues to be a very busy time for the duo with even more exciting times ahead. Thankfully, they LOVE what they do and can’t imagine doing anything else!!
Finalist – Best Music Video of the Decade, for “Guardians of Papatūānuku“, 2024 RE-Generation International Youth Film Festival at Melbourne Fringe Festival (AUS)
Finalist – APRA AMCOS Best Children’s Song – Preschool, for “Toro Like A Kakīroa“, 2024 Children’s Music Awards (NZ)
Semi-Finalist – 2022 International Songwriting Competition, for “Let’s Make Lemonade“
Finalist – NZ on Air Best Children’s Music Video, for “Guardians of Papatūānuku”, 2022 Children’s Music Awards (NZ)
Funky Kids Radio Global Children’s Entertainment Awards 2021
For “Guardians of Papatūānuku”
For “The Māui Dolphin“
Semi-Finalist – 2021 International Songwriting Competition, for “The Māui Dolphin”
Finalist – Sunpix Best Pacific Language, for “‘Umukisia“, 2021 Pacific Music Awards (NZ)
Finalist – APRA Best Children’s Song, for “He Uri Ngāti Hua-Rākau“, 2021 Children’s Music Awards (NZ)
Third Place – Global Song of the Year, for “‘Umukisia”, 2020 Funky Kids Radio Global Music Awards
Third Place – People’s Choice – Song of the Year, for “‘Umukisia”, 2020 Funky Kids Radio Global Music Awards
"Arlo Is autistic and can become overwhelmed by groups. As soon as he heard their familiar voices he was transfixed! And slowly, but surely, he made his way from Dad's shoulders (at the very back of the hall) to the very front! He was dancing with the other children without a care in the world. This was beautiful and I couldn’t fight the tears away."
- Wellington Tour Concert Review
"Awesome unique songs and stunning voices. Perfect little kids concert."
- Cambridge Concert Review
"Our whanau loved Loopy Tunes waiatas! We play their songs on our long drives and its fun for all of us. My 6 years old daughter is learning Te Reo Maori and she feels very inspired to see young wāhine toa singing and expressing their art for tamariki"
- Nelson Tour Concert Review
"We highly recommend any ECE centre have loopy tunes visit. Our tamariki were so engaged in their fun well organised music session. Even several parents who attended said how amazing it was and how wonderful your singing voices were. Please come visit again."
- South Canterbury Tour Preschool Visit Review
"Love these music sessions - enjoyable for my little ones as well as myself as these ladies can hold a tune! It has been an awesome way to bring more Te Reo into our lives!"
- Helene
"Thank you for your lovely music group. Orlando and I were new to your music group in Sumner. I guess this is a fan letter from a mother on behalf of her son. In our household you are referred to as "the Ladies" and it is the only music we are allowed to listen to in Orlando's presence. Thank you for the lovely gift you both bring into the world."
- Mahalia