photos: Tali Gordon Photography
In the past year, Jaedyn Randell has gone from teaching high school by day, while dreaming of a music career, to taking the stage for The Voice Australia finals with millions of viewers watching at home.
It’s been a whirlwind of success for the 23-year-old Waikato performer. She was runner-up on the hit show and has also reprised her role as Moana for Disney’s newly released Moana 2 Reo Māori. But throughout it all, she says family and her Māoritanga have kept her grounded.
“I grew up really close with my grandparents,” shares Jaedyn. She had judges Guy Sebastian, Adam Lambert and Kate Miller-Heidke fighting for her to join their team during The Voice blind auditions.
“My koro [grandfather Arlin Randell] was very passionate about music, te reo and te ao Māori [the Māori language and world]. A lot of my passion and pride to be Māori comes from that.
“I never wondered who I was or where I came from. My māmā also played a huge part in that.”
Speaking about her mum, Tirissa Randell, Jaedyn is full of gratitude for the woman who has always believed in her.
“I’m a girl with big dreams and I was really lucky she nurtured them,” says Jaedyn. “She gave me the tools to achieve my goals, but never did it for me. That’s something I want to continue one day when I have tamariki [children].”
It was also Tirissa who saw the search for a Māori girl to do the voiceover for Moana Reo Māori in 2016. Jaedyn wouldn’t have pursued it on her own. However, an encouraging push from her mum and spending the night of her 16th birthday practising the script turned out to be one of her best decisions.
“As a kid, I always wanted to be a Disney princess,” smiles Jaedyn. She fondly remembers the phone call when she learned she’d got the role. “I was talking to [director] Tweedie Waititi and [actor and fellow director] Rachel House. They are wāhine I look up to, then they said another person was joining the Zoom call… Taika Waititi [who was involved in writing the original script for Moana] popped up!
“Mum and I were giving each other a little kick under the table, like, ‘What is even happening right now?!’”
Recently, Jaedyn was asked to return to her role as Moana for the reo Māori version of the highly awaited sequel Moana 2, translated and reimagined by Matewa Media and in cinemas now.
In a world first, it was a bi-lingual launch with the film premiering in English and Māori on the same day.
“It’s really amazing our pēpi and tamariki [babies and children] are going to see Moana 2 in their reo first and can really see themselves represented in the movie. I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”
Experiences like this and The Voice have encouraged Jaedyn to be more confident in herself.
“I’m actually extremely shy and have maybe hid behind that in the past,” she admits. “I’m a silly person but I kept it under wraps because I was nervous. But it’s tiring trying to be someone I’m not. This year, I’ve realised I can still have a shy nature. I can be me and keep pushing myself to step out of my comfort zone at the same time.
“A highlight from The Voice has definitely been seeing my confidence grow. Watching back to my blind audition and then to my finals’ performance, there was such a difference.
“It’s the same Jaedyn Randell, but I could also see the fire and the belief that I can do this,” adds Jaedyn. The star was sometimes on set up to 16 hours a day.
“Another highlight was getting my make-up and hair done, and the beautiful outfits. I’ve never had that experience before and it made me feel like a superstar!
“Being able to share that experience with my mum when she came over with me for the blind auditions, semis and finals was so cool. Growing up, I used to watch The Voice with her all the time. We’d always talk about which coach we’d want and what audition song we’d choose.”
During filming, Jaedyn travelled back and forth between Australia and New Zealand. But as her star continues to soar, she’s relocated to Melbourne, and is excitedly pursuing a full-time music career. She’s also exploring musical theatre options with the support of her mentor and judge, Kate.
“My goal in life is to open a recording studio one day and offer mentorships to rangatahi [youth],” she enthuses. “I want to challenge myself. Then when I have more pūkenga [skills] and mātauranga [knowledge], I want to bring it home to Aotearoa and share it with anybody I can.”
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