The duo of Croatian-singing Sāmoans has marked its tenth year with its first original single.
Sāmoana, signed with prominent record label Croatian Records, released its song, Kuća od neba i sunca (House of Sky and Sun).
Founder Christian Malietoa-Brown says a message received from his producer by a respected performer brought them the song.
"Our producer got a message from one of the famous Croatian singers and he's a judge on The Voice Croatia, Jacques Houdek. We had met him back in 2013, and he said 'hey look there's this song that I wrote for this other famous singer who passed away'.
"'But I think the Sāmoana boys would be good at it', so he gave us this song.”
'Touches my heart'
In a video posted after the song was recorded in the studio, Houdek gave nothing but flowers for the duo's execution of his original piece.
“Having the Sāmoan guys sing it, the way they did. Oh my god, it touches my heart,” Houdek says.
Austin Malietoa-Brown, who is the other singer in the duo, says the feedback they have received from Croatians about the song has shocked a few people to think they’re Croatians with brown skin.
In 2015 the group saw their names written on a plaque in a square that is named after them in Zargost, Croatia.
Sāmoana is gearing up for another tour in Croatia, travelling around different parts for three months starting in May.
Christian says they’re grateful for these opportunities but it’s not all glamour and perks.
Tiring lifestyle
“We don’t get much time to change, we literally just jump in the shower, and we look at our hotel room, knowing that we aren’t going to sleep in it because a lot of the time we are flying out the next morning. Then they’re like 'well you need some food', so we eat and then we’re off to perform again.”
He says it’s a lifestyle that can get tiring but says they never want to disappoint their supporters.
"For us, we are about the audience, fans, and followers. So, people ask us: 'How long are you going to sing?' And they’re like for two hours? We say we will sing for as long as there are people who want to listen to us,” Christian says.
They have had group numbers change over the years, and at one point had eight members touring in Australia and Croatia.
More Samoan music
They frequently credit high school music teacher Antun Poljanich for introducing them to Croatian music.
Now their next big move is to infuse Croatian music with Sāmoan flair to contribute to the Pacific music scene.
“One thing we noticed having been in the Croatian industry, and how fast their music turnover is. Is that our Samoan music doesn’t turn over as fast. We need more Sāmoan music.
"Because you hear some Sāmoan songs get played over six months because there is not enough new stuff coming through. So that’s something we want to contribute to as well,” Christian says.