13 Facts About Troy Kingi

Troy Kingi was born on 1984 and is a New Zealand musician and actor from Northland, first receiving media attention when he appeared in the 2013 film Mt.

Troy Kingi was born 1 June 1984 in Rotorua, and was raised in Rotorua, Te Kaha and Kerikeri.

Troy Kingi is of Te Arawa, Ngapuhi and Te Whanau-a-Apanui descent.

Troy Kingi began learning guitar at Te Aute College in Hawke's Bay, and formed his first band, Toll House, at Kerikeri High School.

Troy Kingi 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 working as a scuba instructor and fruit picking in Kerikeri orchards.

Troy Kingi featured on the film's soundtrack, and after the film's release, toured New Zealand with the film's lead actor Stan Walker.

Troy Kingi collaborated on the Stan Walker song "Aotearoa", a song created part of a Te Wiki o te Reo Maori project for a song sung in Maori language to reach number one in New Zealand, something that had not been seen since Patea Maori Club's "Poi E" in 1984.

Troy Kingi set himself the goal of releasing 10 albums in the span of 10 years, performing in 10 different genres.

At the Waiata Maori Music Awards, Troy Kingi won the awards for best Maori pop artist and best solo male artist.

In 2020, Troy Kingi released The Ghost of Freddie Cesar, an album inspired by a cassette tape Troy 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 Troy Kingi remembered of the tape, blended with his own interpretations and original content.

Troy Kingi's father disappeared around Christmas 2005, while driving between Rotorua and Auckland.

Troy Kingi has five children with his wife Huia, and works with the Raid Movement, a group combatting youth suicide in Northland.