Hawaiian-born Tongan singer Josh Tatofi brought the house down at the Pacific Music Awards last week becoming an audience favourite on the night.
Currently on his South Pacific tour, Tatofi has just returned from a series of sold-out shows across the Pacific Islands and Australia.
Te Ao Māori News interviewed the Grammy-nominated singer last week after he received the NiuFM Best International Pacific Artist award.
Tatofi expressed his gratitude for the “overwhelming” support he received during his performance and said he was blessed he was the one “people seek for music and comfort”.
He said that being dubbed the “Son of the South Pacific” was the title he was most proud of among all his accolades.
Reflecting on his visit, Tatofi fondly recalled enjoying a classic Kiwi breakfast of minced beef pies that morning.
“Whenever I come back here, it’s like home. I love the people, the food, the interaction with everybody. Our people are the best in the South Pacific.”
Born and bred in Hawaii, Tatofi said he believed his cultural background and upbringing were the reason his fans resonated with his music.
“I’m one of them. What I mean by one of them is I was raised like everyone else here in this building with a heavy cultural background.
“I think that a lot of people resonate with me because I was born and raised the same way they were. The only difference is I have this platform.”
Tatofi’s message to rangatahi
He said his music catered for the younger generation, hoping they ccould take something away.
“Go for it. Don’t be scared. Go for it. You don’t want to be older and be like I could have been this, I could have been that and I could have been a chef.
“My thing is go after it especially if it’s something that resonates with you every day.”
Tatofi recalls his time in college where he played American football.
“I wanted to play music every single day. So go out, explore, get your education, make your family proud. Go for your morals.”
Represent our culture
During his performance, people in the crowd jumped to their feet to sing along to his most popular songs.
In his acceptance speech, Tatofi thanked God and gave a special shoutout to the Tongan village of Vaini.
Backstage, he told Te Ao Māori News he stressed to his team the importance of beginning their tour in Tonga and Samoa.
“They see the pride, they see the voices, they see the kind of people that we that we come from. [They] are proud people so I’m so glad that we started here first.
“Our people, they’re the most proud. Our people are so proud. When one of them rises above, we all rise above.”
