Matariki celebrations on Karangahape Road<\/a>. On Thursday, July 9, K\u2019 Road will play host to a free all-day (literally all day, it begins at sunrise, 6.30am) festival of music, storytelling and light. Ladi6 will take the stage alongside a stacked lineup including the likes of Halfqueen and M\u0100.<\/p>\nShe shares her life advice with The Spinoff below.<\/p>\n
What gets you up in the morning?<\/p>\n
Purpose. I like feeling useful.<\/p>\n
What sort of people do you avoid?<\/p>\n
People who are committed to misunderstanding others. We all get things wrong, but if someone has no curiosity about another person\u2019s experience, I find that difficult.<\/p>\n
How do you hold onto hope in these crazy times?<\/p>\n
By paying attention to my community. The news can make humanity look pretty grim, but real life is full of people caring for each other and showing up when it matters.<\/p>\n
What is the single best quality a human can have?<\/p>\n
Humility. If you can admit you don\u2019t know everything, you\u2019re capable of learning, changing and growing.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s over-rated?<\/p>\n
Being busy. We wear exhaustion like a badge of honour when often it\u2019s just a sign that we need to define and take rest for ourselves.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s under-rated?<\/p>\n
Consistency. Most of the things I\u2019ve achieved came from showing up over and over again long after the excitement wore off.<\/p>\n
If you could have a do-over, what would you change?<\/p>\n
I\u2019d spend less time worrying about whether I belonged in certain rooms. The older I get, the more I realise everyone is figuring it out as they go. Belonging is a commitment to yourself not a an accolade to earn.<\/p>\n
What brings you joy?<\/p>\n
Family time. Couch rot. Karaoke. Meaningful chat. Watching people become more themselves. Good food, walks in nature, occasionally getting loose and lit, and, my furbaby Suki.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the best advice you\u2019ve ever been given?<\/p>\n
Hope is a discipline, not a feeling.<\/p>\n
What advice do you wish you\u2019d never followed?<\/p>\n
The idea that you should push through no matter what. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is rest, pause or change direction.<\/p>\n
Tell us about a controversial opinion you hold.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think every passion needs to become a business. Some things are worth doing simply because they nourish your soul.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re feeling low, what helps?<\/p>\n
Resting with internal, self-soothing, compassionate monologuing. Hugs with my honey and my family. Walking. Talking to people I trust. Music. Meditation. Getting out of my own head and back into my body. And reminding myself that feelings are like passing weather, not permanent conditions.<\/p>\n
In what ways is public-facing Ladi6 different to private Ladi6?<\/p>\n
Public-facing Ladi6 is more certain, bossy and louder.<\/p>\n
Private Ladi6 is quieter, loves to overthink things and spends a surprising amount of time trying to figure out what her dog is trying to tell her.<\/p>\n
Give us some life advice.<\/p>\n
Build a life you don\u2019t constantly need to escape from.
Invest in your relationships.
Save money earlier than you think you need to.
Learn how to sit with discomfort.
Be kind, but have boundaries.
Remember that success means very little if you don\u2019t have the people you love around to share it with.<\/p>\n
Te Karanga-a-Hape \u2013 Matariki 2026 runs 6.30am-10pm on Thursday July 9. See here for more information.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The queen of New Zealand hip hop gives her take on what\u2019s important in life. Ladi6 has led…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":517069,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[156,124633,157,111,139,69,1066],"class_list":["post-517068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-ladi6","tag-music","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-pop-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517068\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}