Rob Ruha (born 1980), is a New Zealand musician from Wharekahika, Gisborne District. He debuted as a solo musician in 2013, and is known for his singles sung in te Reo MÃÂori, including "Kalega" (2017), "Ka MÃÂnu" (2019), "35" with Ka Hao (2021), and "Taera" (2021). Ruha worked as the music director for the MÃÂori language version of the Walt Disney Pictures films Moana and The Lion King.
Ruha grew up in Wharekahika, Gisborne District. He is of Te WhÃÂnau-ÃÂ-Apanui and NgÃÂti Porou descent, and also has NgÃÂti Rangiteaorere and Tà «hourangi ancestry. He grew up performing kapa haka, and as a teenager, Ruha moved to Porirua, Wellington, and was inspired to become a musician while attending Mana College. Ruha returned to Gisborne to complete high school, and at 17, won the Aotearoa Traditional MÃÂori Performing Arts Festival (Te Matatini) award for Best Waiata Tira as a part of the Waihërere MÃÂori Club. In the year 2000, Ruha led his first kapa haka group, Tà «ranga Wahine Tà «ranga TÃÂne, who performed at Te Matatini, and by the next year began judging the competition.
In 2004, Ruha moved to Hawaii to manage the Aotearoa section of the Polynesian Cultural Center. In 2007, Ruha graduated with a master's degree in MÃÂtauranga MÃÂori.
One of Ruha's first releases was the song "Hotuhotu", which he recorded with Ria Hall, which became one of the most played songs in te reo MÃÂori on New Zealand radios in 2011. During a 2012 trip to Hawaii to judge a kapa haka competition, Ruha performed as a solo musician for the first time. In 2013, he began working as a solo musician after receiving mentorship and guidance by musician Maisey Rika, releasing his solo debut single "Pà Ânga RÃÂ" on Waitangi Day 2014. His debut extended play Tiki Tapu was recorded at a home studio in Hamurana on the shores of Lake Rotorua, and produced alongside Michael Barker of Split Enz. His debut album Pà «mau followed shortly afterwards in 2015.
In 2016, Ruha worked as a music consultant and performer for the soundtrack of the Lee Tamahori-directed film Mahana, and in 2017 was the musical director for the Te Reo MÃÂori translation of the Walt Disney Pictures film Moana. Ruha's second album Survivance, a soul and R&B collaboration with the Witch Dr., was led by the single "Kalega". The song's title is a Te Tai RÃÂwhiti MÃÂori slang term meaning "too much".
In January 2020, Ruha produced released a live album of gospel waiata in te Reo, sung supergroup MÃ Âhau. The album won the Te MÃÂngai PÃÂho Mana Reo Award and the Best Worship Artist Te Kaipuoro Kairangi Toa award at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards. In 2021, the Ruha-produced Te Tai RÃÂwhiti choir Ka Hao released their debut single "35", which became a hit single in New Zealand, gaining popularity on TikTok during Te Wiki o te Reo MÃÂori (MÃÂori Language Week). Later that year, Ruha released his third studio album, entitled Preservation of Scenery. "35" and "Taera", a single from Preservation of Scenery, were two of the top 10 most commercially successful songs sung in Te Reo MÃÂori for 2021.
In 2022, Ruha worked as the co-musical director of The Lion King Reo MÃÂori (2022), alongside Pere Wihongi.
Ruha is married to music manager Cilla Ruha, who he met at high school. Together they have four children. His entire family speaks te reo MÃÂori as their first language. He lives at Te Kaha in the Bay of Plenty.
Ruha practices raranga (traditional weaving) and painting, which he learnt from his grandmothers at the age of seven.