Hall was born in 1982 or 1983 and is of Ngāi Te Rangi/Ngāti Ranginui ancestry , and has three older sisters . She grew up in Maungatapu and attended Maungatapu School , Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Girls ' College . At secondary school she became interested in singing through kapa haka and later joined the kapa haka group Waka Huia . In Wellington in 2006 Hall created a reggae band called Hope Road . She sang at the opening ceremony for the 2011 Rugby World Cup , and released her debut self-titled EP in 2011 , which won Best Māori Album at the 2012 New Zealand Music Awards . In 2013 Hall featured as a guest vocalist on Stan Walker 's single " Like It 's Over "
2012 New Zealand Music Awards
2012 New Zealand Music Awards
Ria Hall