Makuini

My biography starts not on the Mississippi delta but on the banks of the Whanganui River, in the rural village of Jerusalem, New Zealand.Makuini ( the name means White Queen ) I was introduced at a young age to the sounds of, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McCrae and ( now etched as Polynesias greatest jazz singer ) Mavis Rivers. With my sister Heeni accompanying me on guitar, I entered Maori community and national festival competitions leading to a Maori Education Foundation Grant, which allowed me to study music in the city of Auckland, under the guidance of Dame Sister Mary Leo, tutor to world celebrated opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.I became an established cabaret singer, dancer and actress both on stage and with appearances in television drama, radio, and light entertainment shows. Before travelling to England, where I have been based for the past 25 years, I have toured venues in, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands, Tahiti, Hawaii and Los Angeles.Arriving in the U.K I was cast opposite Yul Brynner in the King & I at the London Palladium. One of the high lights of my career being my appearance in the Royal Variety Show for Her Majesty The Queen, at The Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Over the years I have presented my Ladies of Soul in residencies throughout the UK, Malta, Tenerife, Cyprus, Dubai and on Cruise Ships around the Mediterranean, Caribbean and America.On the 27th of June 2006 I had the honour of performing my countries national anthem at the opening of the Great Britain v New Zealand Rugby League test, televised around the world on Sky Sports.Currently I am working around the UK with my trio and as a vocal tutor at the Kate Simmons School of Dance and the Culcheth Dance & Drama Centre and looking forward to meeting friends on My Space.