Em-Haley Walker

Em-Haley Walker aka Theia is an award-winning Alternative singer and songwriter of the Ngaati Tiipaa, Ngaati Aamaru and Te Ahiwaru people from the Waikato-Tainui Māori tribal confederation. The enigmatic artist is known for her fearless anthems, which challenge social injustices, and her captivating live shows. Theia is proudly lesbian and makes distinctive bilingual Alt music with Indigenous soul, ethereal folk and art-rock influences. Her debut album, Girl In A Savage World, releases on November 7th this year. Theia has performed at many of NZ’s largest festivals and has toured both sides of the Tasman. Now based in LA, Theia has spent the last three summers touring extensively in the US and Canada. Recent highlights include Block Heater (Calgary), Belltown Bloom and Pioneer Square Fest (Seattle), Westside Culturefest (Utah), Women’s Freedom Festival (LA) and pride events in Miami, Toronto, Montana, San Diego, Miami, Vancouver, Northern California and Los Angeles. In early 2024, Theia was Mātairangi Mahi Toi – Artist In Residence at Massey University in Wellington. She has just been appointed the Ambassador for Oceania in the Indigenous Youth Storytellers Circle (an official project of the UN International Year of Indigenous Languages) An artist of integrity and exceptional talent, Theia’s ability to use music as a vehicle for social change and advocate for ‘Tino Rangatiratanga’ (the Māori term for sovereignty) makes her a true force to be reckoned with.