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Music
CBM youths unite online
With everyone working from home over the last two years, a growing community of Fijians gathered online too, some mostly to pass the time. In what has been referred to as the #TeamFiji space, young people from all over the country and in the diasporic communities abroad have found ways to stay connected and entertained....
From village dreams to musical success
Music is the food of love. This rings true for local artist Qali Lomavatu Vakacegu who believes music is a tangible force that has the power to magnify emotions between lovers. Deep in the mountain ranges of Nakauvadra, Ra in the village of Naseyani was where Qali envisioned forming a music band. He loved singing...
It all happened at Korolevu
All that remains of the once bustling entertainment mecca at Korolevu on the Coral Coast are the stubborn charred concrete slabs that were once home to the best of Fijian tourism. For a musician in the ’60s, if you played at the Korolevu Resort, you had literally earned your stripes. Back then, the Korolevu Beach...
Toroca creates songs to give hope
Christian hymns are written as prayers, petitions, praise, and thanksgiving, or promises of commitment and it often tells a story. As a young kid who grew up in a church setting, Sailasa Toroca was familiar with the hymns he engaged within the church with his late paternal grandmother, Tuvou Ratavola. He said his grandmother was...
Virtual concert to help in virus fight
Renoened local artists and bands got together last Saturday to perform in the first live virtual concert organised by the Bula Ko Lau panel. Panel member Samisoni Pareti said the initiative was to provide assistance to the people of Lau as well as the artists themselves. “We have 24 artists altogether who volunteered to be part of this event and we have been overwhelmed with their...
The music lives on for Vosawale
When Senitiki Vosawale returned home after a three-month work stint in New Zealand in 1968, he brought a new guitar, a first-time experience and so began the revelation. The lanky Nakini villager of Naitasiri said he bought the guitar for its beauty and to show his fellow villagers that he owned a guitar from the land of the long white cloud. It was...
Devoted to singing bhajan
Growing up, Brij Deo was fascinated by the hypnotising classical tunes of bhajan. Those early trysts with devotional songs had such a deep impact, he decided to become the first bhajan singer in his family. The 55-year-old said the death of his maternal grandfather, Mathura Chaudhary, played a key role in advancing and strengthening his...
Band’s journey from the village to the studio
In the ’80s, a sigidrigi group out of Mokani Village, Tailevu, earned the rather humorous nickname “Mi Rawa” (visit the restroom first before they begin). Lead vocalist and composer Ratu Isireli Mokunitulevu said the band’s high-energy performance, combined with melodic harmonies often captivated revellers so much that they forgot to visit the washroom. “The real name of our band was the Nauluvatu Vocal...
Music house evolves with challenges
Fijians across every sector are adapting their businesses to the challenges presented by COVID-19 and are positioning themselves for the post-COVID world. Some in the local music industry are also adapting to that change. In a bid to broaden its horizons and create and take advantage of new opportunities, Fiji’s leading music production house Noisy...
Karavakula recalls his musical journey
In the late ’60s, Toberua Island was a leading tourist destination in the country. Located 10.5km east of Bau Landing, the tiny four-acre private island was where Suva businessmen and their families, and colonial administrators, would gather on weekends for a breather. And while many flocked there for sun, sand and sea, others were quite...
Group’s songs based on real-life events
Love and the tangled web of emotions associated with it have provided fodder for many a tune. In fact, if a nation was ever measured by the volume of love or unrequited love songs composed, Fiji would certainly be ranked high up there. It seems that the iTaukei community, especially, just love to hear songs...
Concert to raise funds for needy
While the pandemic has hindered local musicians from performing, Fiji’s vude prince Savuto Vakadewavosa has taken a new approach to make money. Thanks to the new Twitter space feature on social media, Vakadewavosa will be using this platform to try and raise money. “I have been rehearsing for over a month now and I am so excited to perform for my supporters, for all Fijians here...
A new twist to sigidrigi
In the early ’70s, when contemporary music was not popular in rural villages around Fiji, two gentlemen from Waikete Village, Tailevu, decided to change the status quo by composing their own songs. At a time when traditional iTaukei music was widely embraced in the form of sigidrigi, Iosefo Senikau and Sakiasi Yabia decided to introduce a new twist to the genre. Senikau, one of the surviving members of...
‘Fakawela’ online music fundraiser aimed to assist struggling musicians
Renowned composer and performer William “Bigwilz” Waqanibaravi is hosting a ‘fakawela’ music fundraiser this evening beginning at 6pm. Bigwilz said the music show would feature his backing band The Guruz of Groove. The band features bassist Philip Tigarea, guitarist Tawake “Tux” Jackson, drummer Johnny Bola and fellow Makare band member Phil Dakei. “A lot of...
A murder and a song – Living life through music
One would not expect a song about the brutal murder of a young woman to become a hit. But the story of the tragic slaying of 20-year-old schoolteacher Evelyn Nair called Talanoa Ni Noqu Sota Kaya took the Senirauvula Group from obscurity to fame. The abduction and horrific events that led to the Niusawa Methodist...
