James Tito is a New Zealand actor and musician. Tito is also a founding member of Māori showband the

Modern Māori Quartet The Modern Māori Quartet (MMQ) is a showband musical group from New Zealand. The group comprises core members James Tito, Matariki Whatarau, Maaka Pohatu and Francis Kora, with occasional rotation of the lineup depending on availability of the p ...

. He co-wrote and performed songs, with the other band members, for the Modern Māori Quartet's debut album ''That's Us!'' (2017). Tito co-hosted

Māori Television Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

's ''My Party Song'' as part of the 'Modern Māori Quartet.

Early life

Tito was born in

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town on the north-eastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, in the central North Island. It is the largest urban area of the Taupō District, and the second-largest urban area in the Wai ...

, New Zealand and is of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāpuhi">Ngāti_Tūwharetoa.html" ;"title="Ngāti Tūwharetoa">Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāpuhi, Kūki 'Āirani (Cook Islands) ] descent. James is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School (Te Kura Toi Whakaari ō Aotearoa) earning a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting) in 2010.

Career

Theatre

Tito performed in the theatre show ''Awhi Tapu''(2011) with future bandmate

Matariki Whatarau Matariki Whatarau is a New Zealand actor and musician. Whatarau is also a founding member of Māori showband the Modern Māori Quartet. He co-wrote and performed songs, with the other band members, for the Modern Māori Quartet's debut album ''Tha ...

. In 2012, Tito played Diomedes/Taiomete, in the te reo Māori version of

Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Meanwh ...

at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

, in London, alongside fellow Toi Whakaari graduates and Modern Māori Quartet bandmates,

Maaka Pohatu Maaka Pohatu is a New Zealand actor and musician. Pohatu is also a founding member of Māori showband the Modern Māori Quartet. He co-wrote and performed songs, with the other band members, for the Modern Māori Quartet's debut album ''That's Us ...

(Ajax) and Matu Ngaropo (Achilles).

Music

Tito is a member of Māori showband the

, alongside

and

Francis Kora Francis Kora is a New Zealand musician and actor. He currently performs with the groups Kora and the Modern Māori Quartet. He co-wrote and performed songs, with the other band members, for the Modern Māori Quartet's debut album ''That's Us!'' ...

Film and television

Tito, and the other members of the Modern Māori Quartet, served as the in-house band on Māori television’s variety show, ''Happy Hour'' (2014). He also acted in some of the shows comedy sketches. Tito had a supporting role in the films '' Mahana'' (2016) and '' Whina'' (2022), In 2019, James made an appearance on

TVNZ , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...

's long running series, ''

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...

''.

Discography

* ''Happy Hour'' (2014) * ''That's Us!'' (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tito, James Year of birth missing (living people) Living people New Zealand male Māori actors 21st-century New Zealand male actors 21st-century guitarists 21st-century New Zealand male singers New Zealand male singer-songwriters New Zealand singer-songwriters People from Taupō Toi Whakaari alumni New Zealand male film actors New Zealand male television actors New Zealand Māori male singers Ngāti Tūwharetoa people Ngāpuhi people New Zealand people of Cook Island descent