Some have described her sound similar to Tracey Chapman or Sade, with a splash of India Arie. Her spine tingling vocals and fusion of English and Maori (Te Reo) lyrics is capturing the hearts of soul seekers both in New Zealand and abroad.
Maisey and guitarist J.J, have worked to create an original melodic experience backed with strong eclectic messages. A mix of folk, acoustic, soul and easy listening, their musical palette is vibrant with elements of roots and deep culture.
Since the early age of 13, Maisey began singing on stage and in the studio at a professional level. Maisey’s first recordings brought her to stardom with “E Hine”, a classic collection of Maori traditional songs. “E Hine“ went double platinum and also won “Best Maori Language Album” at the New Zealand Music Awards. Maisey was also nominated for “Best Female Vocalist” in 1998 at just 15 years old. Maisey, now in her 20's has released a 6 track EP that charted in the NZTOP40 album charts and is now about to release her much anticipated debut album "Tohu". Tohu, is a collection of 12 songs Masiey has written over the past decade. These originals include tracks such as "Ladeda Day", "Omaio" and "Untouchable", some of these are the very first songs written by Maisey, chosen to illustrate her evolving songwriting style.
Tohu is filled with these touching tales and the universal emotions of hardship, happiness, love, justice and sorrow we can all relate to.
Produced by Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper, this collection explores many different arrangement styles. The ancestral sounds of traditional Maori instruments have been used along side energetic guitars, drums, animated horn sections and pure string sections.
All together, Tohu musically has an organic feel, diverse range with Maisey’s lyrics beautifully fusing this together into a musical journey.
FEVER
Maisey Rika Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coz everybody knows me
Like you don't like to party
Lose tension in my body
Look to you for my freedom
Coz in you I find I'm at one
Meet the sacrifice
Claim what's in your eyes
Fever, Lightning
Feel my body temperature is Rising (rising), Fighting (fighting)
You give me fever
I'll throw you lightning
Free the animal inside me
Fever, Lightning
Fever
Disrupt me from my low down
You eliminate the foreground
Aint nothing but this small town
To justify the world now
Close to you I find no more wrong
Close to you I find I belong
Meet the sacrifice
Claim what's in your eyes
Fever, Lightning
Feel my body temperature is Rising (rising), Fighting (fighting)
You give me fever
I'll throw you lightning
Free the animal inside me
Fever, Lightning
Heat is rising
Hold on to that feeling (feeling)
Hold on to that feeling (feeling)
Hold on to that feeling
Don't fight the fever (fever)
Fever
In Maisey Rika's song "Fever", the lyrics seem to be about finding freedom and release from tension through a connection with someone else. The opening lines suggest that the singer is feeling shattered or worn down, but still has a reputation to uphold ("everybody knows me"). Despite this, they seem to be in search of a release, and possibly look to others for that release ("like you don't like to party"). However, they ultimately find that freedom when they are close to the person they address as "you", when they feel connected and "at one". This person might be someone the singer is in love with, as they speak of "Claim[ing] what's in your eyes" and finding themselves when they're close to them.
The song then turns to the title, "Fever", and the idea of rising heat and lightning-like energy. The singer seems to find that heat and release when they're with the person they're singing about - they feel their body temperature rising and they're fighting for a kind of freedom that they can't find elsewhere. The lines "You give me fever / I'll throw you lightning" suggest that there's a back-and-forth energy here - the person they're with is giving them a fever, causing that rising heat, but the singer themselves can also throw lightning and bring that same energy to the relationship. The lines at the end of the song urge the listener not to resist the fever or the feeling - to "Hold on to that feeling" instead.
Overall, "Fever" seems to be a song about finding freedom and release through a connection with another person, and allowing yourself to feel that heat and energy fully.
Line by Line Meaning
Shattered bright and early
I feel broken and overwhelmed from the start of the day
Coz everybody knows me
I feel like I have to live up to everyone's expectations of me
Like you don't like to party
I feel like you don't enjoy life as much as I do
Lose tension in my body
When I'm with you, I feel relaxed and at ease
Look to you for my freedom
You make me feel like I can be myself and free from any constraints
Coz in you I find I'm at one
Being with you makes me feel whole and complete
Meet the sacrifice
I am willing to make sacrifices for our relationship
Claim what's in your eyes
I want to understand your feelings and intentions towards me
Disrupt me from my low down
You help lift me up from my negative thoughts and emotions
You eliminate the foreground
Being with you makes everything else fade into the background
Aint nothing but this small town
There's nothing else in this town that interests me besides you
To justify the world now
Being with you makes me feel like the world makes sense
Close to you I find no more wrong
Being close to you makes everything else feel right
Close to you I find I belong
Being close to you makes me feel like I have found my place in this world
Heat is rising
My emotions and desires are intensifying
Hold on to that feeling (feeling)
I want to prolong and savor this moment with you
Don't fight the fever (fever)
I don't want to resist my strong feelings for you
Fever
My strong desire and passion for you
Fever, Lightning
My uncontrollable feelings of love and passion
Feel my body temperature is Rising (rising), Fighting (fighting)
My physical reactions to my intense emotions for you
You give me fever
Being with you intensifies my desire and passion for you
I'll throw you lightning
My love for you is powerful and electrifying
Free the animal inside me
Being with you releases my wild and passionate side
Writer(s): Maisey Mei-Alicia Rika, Mahuia Idris Bridgman-Cooper
Contributed by Molly N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.