Rawiri Waru is being likened to the late Ray Charles - and he doesn't mind a bit.
The 25-year-old apparently has the same effortless piano style and similar voice to the pioneering American pianist and soul musician credited with shaping the sound of rhythm & blues.
Waru reckons it's a huge compliment.
He has played the piano since he was 15 and now has his first regular piano/singing gig at Rotorua's Pheasant Plucker bar every Thursday - something made possible by the pub buying a Backstone concert grand piano it hopes will attract a wider variety of musicians to play at the bar.