Earlier this month TEEKS released his debut album Something To Feel.

“I always heard sometimes you have to hit rock bottom and I did not realize what that meant until I felt like I was there,” TEEKS states. “It forced me to dig deep. I was writing before but I didn’t think I was writing from a place that intimate.”

An honest and vulnerable insight into an introspective period of his life, TEEKS found relief in surrendering to emotion and rejecting the colonised ideals of ‘masculinity’, while embracing the duality of Te Ao Māori, the worldview of his indigenous people. The result; a raw and confronting work of art.

”Coming into this new album, writing about myself and how I am navigating my own emotions internally, and the whole ocean of what that is,” he starts. “I have always tried to suppress so much of me. This album is me telling myself that it’s okay to feel something. Life is not worth living if you don’t feel something.”

We asked TEEKS to participate in our ongoing interview series He Sees Her, speaking to young men & creatives about how female identifying figures have influenced their upbringing & creativity. The purpose of the series is to have conversations with artists in male-dominated industries that shine a light on the women who have shaped themselves and their work.

Name:
TEEKS

Where do you live?
Auckland, New Zealand

Where did you grow up?
My family moved around quite a bit but I spent most of my time growing up in the far north of NZ. Small coastal communities and always next to the ocean.

Did you grow up with brothers and sisters?
Yes. I have 3 older sisters and two younger brothers.

Who were the closest women to you growing up?
My mother and my sisters.

How and why are they unique in your memory?
Because they raised me. I am very fortunate to have many strong female figures in my life who have contributed to my understanding of the world.

Do you see anything in yourself that you got from her?
Compassion, care and the unconditional expression of love is what I’ve observed the most.

Do you think there is a difference between the intelligence of a woman in comparison to the intelligence of a man?
I think women are inherently more in-tune with the spiritual world. Emotional intelligence and intuition are also innately feminine traits. I think the difference between men and women is that women are able to bring balance to the masculine and the feminine (which we all carry) more fluidly, and are able to operate more holistically.

What do you see as a problem currently in society regarding women, and how have your female figures helped influence you in challenging that?
The lack of inclusion and representation across almost every industry, especially at a decision making level. The fact is society was built on a system that centres whiteness and patriarchy so it’s about shifting that imbalance of power. The key female figures in my life occupy leadership roles across multiple disciplines and will continue to challenge those statistics.

How do you practice being an ally to women?
I think the most important thing is to listen. I still have so much to learn and to unlearn, it’s also crucial to be aware of and acknowledge that the scales of power favour men and have done so for centuries. With that understanding comes responsibility and accountability.

Who is a woman that you admire who you’re not related to or you’re not in a relationship with?
Maisey Rika