Gisborne-raised singer Salem Randall says auditioning for Whakata Māori's Five Minutes of Fame wasn't exactly planned, but it the best decision he's made in his young life.
“My music teacher said 'Hey, you guys should join this,' so we did because we didn't have anything else to do.”
Randall took out the rangatahi category for the second season of the show and, with the bragging rights, $10,000 dollars cash. He’s only 14, but already has a plan for what he's going to do with his winnings.
“I'm gonna save half but I'm gonna help out with my family and then put some towards music and producing stuff.”
Randall stunned audiences and the judges alike with his first performance, but it was his rendition of Adele's When We Were Young in the quarter-final that cemented his position in the show as the fan favourite.
“People have actually been telling me to get that song on to Spotify so I'm working on that now,” he says.
With Troy Kingi, Allen Stone, and L.A.B. as his musical inspiration, the future looks bright for this East Caost musician who has no doubt that he will be making music full-time in the near future.