# Troy Kingi

Troy Kingi (born 1984) is a New Zealand musician and actor from Northland, first receiving media attention when he appeared in the 2013 film Mt. Zion. Kingi is a multi-instrumentalist, is known for his 10/10/10 project: the plan to release 10 albums in 10 genres across 10 years.

## Biography

Troy Kingi was born 1 June 1984 in Rotorua, and was raised in Rotorua, Te Kaha and Kerikeri. Kingi is of Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent. He began learning guitar at Te Aute College in Hawke's Bay, and formed his first band, Toll House, at Kerikeri High School. Toll House entered the Smokefreerockquest, winning the regional Northland competition.
Since the early 2000s, Kingi has lived in Kerikeri. He studied at the Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand in Auckland, and on returning to Kerikeri fronted a number of short-lived bands, including Mongolian Deathworm, Kingkachoo, Troy Kingi and the Tigers, Full Moon Street and Typhoon Fools, while also working as a scuba instructor and fruit picking in Kerikeri orchards. Kingi's work with Typhoon Fools gained him more widespread attention, and led to him being cast in the film Mt. Zion (2013). Kingi also featured on the film's soundtrack, and after the film's release, toured New Zealand with the film's lead actor Stan Walker. Kingi released his first extended play in 2013. His appearance in Mt. Zion led to further work as an actor, including The Pā Boys (2014) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016). Kingi collaborated on the Stan Walker song "Aotearoa" (2014), a song created part of a Te Wiki o te Reo Māori project for a song sung in Māori language to reach number one in New Zealand, something that had not been seen since Pātea Māori Club's "Poi E" in 1984.
Kingi set himself the goal of releasing 10 albums in the span of 10 years, performing in 10 different genres. The first in this series was Guitar Party at Uncle's Bach (2016), a double album recorded live in seven days at Lyttelton, New Zealand. At the Waiata Māori Music Awards, Kingi won the awards for best Māori pop artist and best solo male artist. His second album, the soul-psychedelic Shake That Skinny Ass All the Way to Zygertron (2017), featured "Aztechknowledgey", which was nominated for the APRA Silver Scroll award. Holy Colony Burning Acres (2019) was a political roots reggae album featuring songs that discussed subjects including West Papua, the Inuit, Hawaiʻi and Aboriginal Tasmanians, The album won the Taite Music Prize in 2020.
In 2020, Kingi released The Ghost of Freddie Cesar, an album inspired by a cassette tape Kingi found in the belongings of his father, who disappeared in 2005. The cassette tape since went missing, and the album was a re-creation of what Kingi remembered of the tape, blended with his own interpretations and original content. The album was a commercial success, reaching number two on the New Zealand albums chart. Kingi's 2021 album, Black Sea Golden Ladder, was written in four days at an apartment on Clyde Wharf in Wellington Harbour, as a part of the Matairangi Mahi Toi Artist Residency programme. The album was co-produced with New Zealand singer-songwriter Delaney Davidson.
Kingi plans to retire as a musician after releasing 10 albums, to become a music producer and a gardener at land he owns in Ōkaihau.

## Personal life

Kingi's father disappeared around Christmas 2005, while driving between Rotorua and Auckland. Kingi has five children with his wife Huia, and works with the Raid Movement, a group combatting youth suicide in Northland.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | NZ | NZ Artist |
| Guitar Party at Uncle's Bach (Troy Kingi & the Electric Haka Boogie) | Released: 18 November 2016 Label: Lyttelton Records Format: CD, digital download, streaming | — | 13 |
| Shake That Skinny Ass All the Way to Zygertron (Troy Kingi and the Galactic Chiropractors) | Released: 28 November 2017 Label: AllGood Absolute Alternative Records Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 17 | 1 |
| Holy Colony Burning Acres (Troy Kingi & the Upperclass) | Released: 12 July 2019 Label: AllGood Absolute Alternative Records Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | — | 11 |
| The Ghost of Freddie Cesar (Troy Kingi & the Clutch) | Released: 11 September 2020 Label: AllGood Absolute Alternative Records Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 2 | 1 |
| Black Sea Golden Ladder | Released: 18 June 2021 Label: AllGood Absolute Alternative Records Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 3 | 2 |
| Year of the Ratbags and Their Musty Theme Songs | Released: 7 October 2022 Label: AllGood Absolute Alternative Records Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 2 | 2 |
| Time Wasters: Soundtrack to Current Day Meanderings | Released: 17 November 2023 Label: AllGood Absolute Alternative Records Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 11 | 1 |
| Leatherman & the Mojave Green | Released: 16 August 2024 Label: AllGood Absolute Alternative Records Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 5 | 1 |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. ||||

### Reissues

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | NZ | NZ Artist |
| Pū Whenua Hautapu, Eka Mumura (Troy Kingi & the Upperclass) | Released: 24 June 2022 Label: AllGood Absolute Alternative Records Format: LP, digital download, streaming | 18 | 3 |

### Extended plays

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | NZ Artist |
| Troy Kingi | Released: 21 October 2013 Label: Hongi Slicker Records Format: Digital download, streaming | 16 |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | NZ Hot | NZ Artist Hot | Album |
| "Break a Bone" | 2015 | — | — | Guitar Party at Uncle's Bach |
| "Cold Steel" (featuring Mara TK) | 2016 | — | — | Guitar Party at Uncle's Bach |
| "Just a Phase" | 2017 | — | — | Guitar Party at Uncle's Bach |
| "Ethiopia" | 2019 | — | — | Holy Colony Burning Acres |
| "Babylon Grows" | 2019 | — | — | Holy Colony Burning Acres |
| "All Your Ships Have Sailed" | 2020 | 29 | 4 | The Ghost of Freddie Cesar |
| "Chronophobic Disco" | 2020 | — | 8 | The Ghost of Freddie Cesar |
| "First Take Strut" (featuring Neko) | 2021 | — | — | The Ghost of Freddie Cesar |
| "Call My Name (School)" | 2021 | — | 10 | Black Sea Golden Ladder |
| "Sleep (Slumber)" | 2021 | — | — | Black Sea Golden Ladder |
| "He Ōrite" (with the Nudge) | 2021 | — | 16 | Non-album single |
| "Paparazzo" | 2022 | — | 7 | Year of the Ratbags and Their Musty Theme Songs |
| "Bastard" | 2023 | — | 14 | Time Wasters |
| "Through the Night" | 2024 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. |||||

#### As featured artist

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | NZ | NZ Artist | Certifications | Album |
| "Aotearoa" (Stan Walker featuring Ria Hall, Troy Kingi and Maisey Rika) | 2014 | 2 | 1 | RMNZ: Gold | Non-album singles |
| "Look Up" (Sorrento featuring Troy Kingi) | 2018 | — | — | | Non-album singles |
| "Ka Mānu" (Bella Kalolo, Maisey Rika, Majic Pāora, Ria Hall, Rob Ruha, Seth Haapu, Troy Kingi, The Witch Dr.) | 2019 | — | 20 | | Non-album singles |
| "Stay" (among Tūtahi) | 2020 | — | 16 | | Non-album singles |
| "Tūrangawaewae" (Tipene featuring Maisey Rika & Troy Kingi) | 2021 | — | — | | Heritage Trail |
| "Seedling" (10:32 featuring Troy Kingi) | 2021 | — | — | | Non-album single |
| "The Way We Were" (Blklist featuring Troy Kingi) | 2022 | — | — | | TBA |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. ||||||

### Promotional singles

| Title | Year | Album |
| "Maumaharatia" | 2019 | Non-album promotional single |
| "Te Wai Nō Rua Whetū / Aztechknowledgey" | 2021 | Kono 003 |

### Other charted songs

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | NZ Artist | Album |
| "Shake that Skinny Ass" | 2020 | 5 | The Ghost of Freddie Cesar |
| "Caught in the Rain" | 2020 | 12 | The Ghost of Freddie Cesar |

### Guest appearances

| Title | Year | Other artists | Album |
| "Lion Trail" | 2013 | Small Axe | Mt. Zion: Music from & Inspired by the Motion Picture |
| "Ain't No Sunshine" | 2014 | Whenua Patuwai | The Soul Sessions |
| "T'ariki Tama o Mere" | 2016 | Maisey Rika | Tira |
| "The Next Generation" | 2017 | Cam Galbraith | Non-album song |
| "Abundance" | 2018 | Melodownz | Melo & Blues |
| "The View" | 2019 | L()ve & Hope, Mara TK, Ed Waaka | Non-album song |
| "Hold On" | 2019 | 9-5ers, Tyla Pere | Day in the Life |
| "Mahi" | 2019 | Dharmarat | Wlknz |
| "Aotearoa (English Version)" | 2019 | Stan Walker, Ria Hall, Maisey Rika | Faith Hope Love |
| "Tama i Tukua" | 2020 | Ka Hao | Mōhau (Live Visual Album) |
| "Break My Heart" | 2020 | Spellspellspell | Non-album song |
| "Star to Star" | 2020 | Sola Rosa | Chasing the Sun |
| "Water" | 2021 | Julien Dyne | Modes |
| "Every Hori Is a Star" | 2021 | Mara TK | Bad Meditation |
| "Tūwhitia Te Hopo (Te Reo)" | 2022 | Te Kuru Dewes | Non-album songs |
| "Poi Pūkeko" | 2022 | Te Matatini, Tū Te Manawa Maurea | Non-album songs |
| "That Love" | 2022 | Melodownz, Avondale Intermediate Choir | Lone Wolf |

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Mt. Zion | Hone | Also featured on soundtrack |
| 2014 | The Pā Boys | Tolaga Local | |
| 2014 | The Kick | Piri Weepu | |
| 2016 | Hunt for the Wilderpeople | TK | |
| 2017 | Kiwi Christmas | Tama | |
| 2018 | The Breaker Upperers | Coach | |
| 2018 | Alien Addiction | Forestry worker | |
| 2020 | Toke | Henare | |
| 2022 | Muru | Mooks | |
| 2024 | The Mountain | Tux | Also composed soundtrack |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Find Me a Māori Bride | David | 6 episodes. 1 self-appearance |
| 2021 | The Panthers | Pussy Smith | 3 episodes. Also soundtrack contributor. |
| 2021 | The Masked Singer NZ | Self | 7 episodes. |