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Anika Moa’s hollywood dream

The beloved singer spills the beans on family life, becoming a mermaid and being a ‘badass bitch’
Anika Moa in front of a mustard backdropPictures: Michelle Hyslop, Mark Leedom

Anika Moa may be a busy mother of four, but nothing was going to stop her from auditioning for the new production of Peter Pan.

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“I wanted to take a risk,” explains the award-winning singer, children’s entertainer, TV presenter and podcast host. “I didn’t want to sit down and be the person who didn’t do it. It’s so easy to sit back and be a reviewer, but why not actually do it?

“You never know, Taika Waititi might be in the audience on opening night and be like, ‘She’s my next star for my next movie!’ Then I can move to Hollywood with the kids, marry Leo DiCaprio even though I’m too old and buy a mansion with a pool.”

Anika, 44, may first and foremost be famous as a musician, but it’s arguably her sense of humour that has made her a beloved Kiwi icon. She’ll be making her theatrical debut in Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Peter Pan. The show was adapted from the JM Barrie story by local playwright Carl Bland.

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The show features characters from the original story, such as Tinkerbell, Wendy, Mrs Darling and Captain Hook, the latter played by former Shortland Street actress Jennifer Ludlam, but it also introduces some new characters, including the Mermaid Queen, which is Anika’s role.

“I showed up at the auditions and even though I knew I wasn’t a great actor, I got a bit cocky and read for Mrs Darling,” laughs Anika. “Then they asked me to audition for the Mermaid Queen – I think because I was so bad at Mrs Darling!”

From mermaid to witch: Anika in costume in Peter Pan.

The next day, she got a call from the director telling her she had the part of the royal mermaid. “He was being so diplomatic about it because I clearly couldn’t act, but I was cool because I don’t care if I can’t do a role – I’m not going to cry about it!”

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The Mermaid Queen, says Anika, does a lot of singing and is a bit grumpy. “She’s in charge of all the mermaids and is an entertainer, so I’m just perfect for the job.”

Although Anika admits she has had problems memorising her lines. “I freak out when I have to learn a script, but I love acting and I love entertaining. The role’s perfect and she hardly has any lines.”

The Mermaid Queen spends a lot of time doing backing vocals for the band. Anika’s been working with the show’s musical director Claire Cowan on them.

The Witch Of Maketu And The Bleating Lambs ($21, Penguin) is on shelves now.
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“There’s five or six songs in the production and she’s written all of them, which are really amazing,” she says. “I come on for a couple of scenes, but they have to wheel me out because I can’t walk. Have you ever heard of a walking mermaid? I don’t think so!”

Making a commitment to the production was a significant ask for multitasker Anika. She’s recently released a second series of her hit RNZ podcast It’s Personal With Anika Moa and also just published her children’s book, The Witch Of Maketu And The Bleating Lambs.

“I have the energy,” says Anika. “The best thing about being a performer is you just go to sleep in between the shows. The best days for me are show days. You don’t have to do anything all day – you just preserve your energy. Although in saying that, I’m also dropping kids off, picking kids up and doing grocery shopping.”

(Clockwise from left): Soren, Taane, Barry and Marigold.
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To make things easier, Anika’s brother has come to stay to help look after the kids – 13-year-old twin boys Taane and Barry, son Soren, 10, and daughter Marigold, five – for the four weeks Peter Pan is on.

Marigold has been joining Anika at some recent events to promote her book, which is based on characters from the singer’s Songs For Bubbas children’s albums. “She comes and acts out the story as I read it,” says Anika. “She’s actually a mini-me – she loves to entertain as well. She’s going to be a star!”

Her four children spend time with their other parents when they aren’t with Anika. “It’s going really well and all of my kids are very happy,” she says. “We’ve had some ups and downs in the past few years with a couple of them. However, we’re all just on a really good roll at the moment. My whole world revolves around them.

“I want to be the kind of mum who, when they’re at a party and can’t get home, they think of me to call first. I want them to know they’re safe and I won’t growl at them.”

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Giving a reading of her book with daughter Marigold.

After previously chatting to actors Robyn Malcolm, Tom Sainsbury and Claire Chitham, Anika’s interview subjects for the second season of It’s Personal include The White Lotus actress Morgana O’Reilly and Shihad’s Jon Toogood.

“I get great guests and I really enjoy it,” says Anika. “I ask the questions that I genuinely want to know and I love connecting with people. Humans are interesting and we’re all fallible. We’ve all got a story to tell.”

She works hard on the podcast to get her guests to be honest with her. “Nobody knows what people are going through. If they’re holding something back, I want to get that something out because I want them to have a release.”

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Anika says that her life at the moment is just where she wants it to be. After leaving her job on Flava’s breakfast radio show – which she co-hosted with Stacey Morrison and Mike Puru – in late 2022, she has felt more in control.

With Morgana O’Reilly.

“I like working for myself and filling my days with jobs that make me happy. It’s nice to do what I want to do now.”

For most of the time, Anika says, she is just keeping her head above water because everything will be going well, but then the kids get sick and she has to cancel jobs.

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“I’m not getting a weekly wage, so sometimes I go three months without money, but the pay-off is not having to deal with a boss,” she smiles.

“I’ve always been like that, just living on the edge of what’s going to happen. I just live day to day and try not to book too far in advance, so I can work around my kids’ schedules. I’m a badass bitch!”

Peter Pan opens Tuesday at Auckland’s ASB Waterfront Theatre. Visit atc.co.nz for tickets. Check out the podcast It’s Personal With Anika Moa at rnz.co.nz.

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