Grant Haua started playing guitar when he was 13 years old.
“My younger brother had got one for Christmas the year before and I noticed he was already starting to get admiring glances from the girls at our school, I said to myself “dam I need to learn the guitar too.“
Haua has been playing guitar ever since. His first solo album “Knucklehead,” released in 2010, got good reviews and opened a few doors for him. He ended up meeting percussionist Michael Barker (Neil Finn, John Butler Trio) and formed “Swamp Thing,” writing music and touring regularly for the next 8 years.
In January 2019, after touring Australia and New Zealand extensively, he decided to continue solo to focus on the music he really enjoys, “soul music.” In 2021 his 2nd solo album, “Awa Blues” presented him with the opportunity to tour in Europe and getting a gig on the iconic German Music TV show “Rockpalast.” New Zealand artists rarely break through in Europe due to the country’s isolated location. The artists that do break through are almost always of exceptional quality. Grant Haua was firmly added to that list after the release of “Awa Blues.”
His new album “Mana Blues” is out now. It is different from previous releases in that it is electric rather than acoustic and deals with serious topics that, Haua says, he usually steers clear of. The album’s fist single, “Embers,” is new this week on RadiJohan.