Zentarge: Building the Sound

ZENTARGE is a brother duo blending R&B, Reggae, Soul, and Funk into a sound that is rich in culture, emotion, and truth. We are calling on YOU, our whānau, community, and anyone interested to help bring our debut album to life. A 10-track journey through love, self-identity, societal pressure, and the realities we face as Māori in today’s world.

Recording an album has been a dream for years. To do it justice, we need your support to access a professional studio, collaborate with seasoned producers and bring our music to the high standard we believe it deserves. With your backing, we can turn this vision into something powerful, polished, and ready to be heard across Aotearoa - and beyond

Join us on this journey, from the first beat to the final mix, and be a part of the sound we're building together.

Meet the brothers:

• Targe Te Hauroamairangi (lead vocals, guitar) and Zenith Te Manawanui (lead guitar, vocals).  He urī nō Te Whakatōhea, Rereahu, Waikato, Te Arawa, Tūhoe, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui me Ngāi Tahu.  

Whānau, Mentors and Creatives:
Growing up in kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa, surrounded by guitars, waiata and kapa haka, our love for music was something we inherited as much as we learned.

We were raised on the sounds of Donny Hathaway, Bob Marley, and Stevie Wonder playing in the car, and jam sessions with Aunties and Uncles - some of Aotearoa, NZ's own musical legends - happening in our own lounge. That upbringing shaped not just our sound, but our discipline, humility, and purpose as Māori artists.
We’re privileged to be mentored by our own whānau and close friends - seasoned, established musicians and singers, who continue to support us, push us to grow, sharpen our craft, and carry ourselves with integrity.

Production & Project Team:
We’re guided by a trusted producer and a professional project team with international experience. Their advice and support help us navigate every step of the recording process — from song writing and arrangement to mixing, mastering, and release. 

Community & Audience Engagement:
Years of busking, creating community events and performing to public audiences taught us how to hold space, connect with people, and stay grounded. This helped us build relationships with many community members who continue to connect with us and support us in everything we do.

Our debut single Balanced sparked support across generations and rohe, resonating with not only Maori but our tauiwi and iwe taketake friends across the globe also. Our online presence continues to grow and we have a solid, loyal following on all social media sites. We still gig regularly, mainly for private events.

Together, with your support, we’re not just recording songs — we’re building the sound. A sound rooted in whakapapa, fuelled by community, and ready to carry our kaupapa to the world.

Here’s a breakdown of what the funds will help cover:

• Studio Time – Recording, mixing, and mastering all 10 tracks in a professional studio environment.
• Producers & Engineers – Collaborating with experienced creatives who understand our sound and can help bring each track to life.
• Mixing & Mastering – Making sure every track sounds polished, balanced, and ready for streaming, radio, and live performance.
• Distribution & Marketing – Releasing the album on all major platforms and reaching the right audiences through PR, media, and targeted promotion.

This project is our chance to bring something special into the world - a debut album that carries our truth and our sound.
Across a 10-track bilingual body of work, we explore our perspective of real life from love and loss to identity, joy, heartbreak and resistance. Each song captures a different part of life as we see and feel it - raw, soulful and unapologetically real. One of the most important tracks is written entirely in te reo Māori - a tribute to the ongoing struggle to reclaim identity, pride, and belonging.

We're creating this album because we believe in the power of music to uplift, inform, and create space for joy, pain, and healing. When we released our first single Balanced, the response showed us that people resonate with our message and sound.

Now, we’re ready to go further, to challenge ourselves, grow our skills, and share something meaningful with the world. With your support, we’ll record, produce, and release a professional debut album that speaks to you, and moves people here in Aotearoa and across the world.

Our album is a genre-crossing soundtrack for anyone trying to make sense of love, culture, and everything in between. Whether it makes you cry, laugh, heal, or just vibe - every listener will find something that speaks to them.

We believe our stories matter. In a world where Indigenous voices are often watered down or pushed aside, this album is an unapologetic celebration of our truth, our sound, and our culture.

This album is our way of honouring every person and experience that’s shaped who we are and of inspiring the next generation to do what they love and not be afraid to be themselves. 

Backing this project means you're not just supporting two young musicians — you're backing a movement. A movement to create space for honest, soulful, and culturally grounded storytelling. You're helping us share our sound with the world, while staying true to who we are and where we come from.