Media release 25 July 2022 Pacific Music Awards Lifetime Achievement awarded to Fa'anana Jerome Grey Pacific Music Awards live event returns 4th August, tickets available Iconic Samoan singer-songwriter Fa'anana Jerome Grey will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at the 2022 Pacific Music Awards in August. Grey’s iconic song ‘We Are Samoa’ became the unofficial anthem of the country, penned while Grey was homesick while travelling through Alaska in the late 1970s. The song sent shockwaves through the industry and propelled Grey to stardom, including performing for former US President Jimmy Carter and Congress in 1980. Prior to this, Grey worked with fellow musicians Seminary Uesele and Harry Sinapi, recording as a trio known as the Samoan Three. Established in 1971, the Samoan Three covered contemporary songs by artists like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis. The grouip were notable for their cultural versatility, singing songs in a variety of languages including Spanish, Latin, Hawaiian, Tahitian and Fijian. A stalward of Pacific music, Grey’s impact and legacy can be felt across the culture. His unique style pushed the boundaries and broke through an invisible barrier of what traditional music composition and entertainment across the Pacific was at that time. New Pacific artists like Sol3 Mio, The Katinas, Lapi Mariner, Jamoa Jam, and Kapono Beamer were inspired by his work, with many of them recording covers of his original compositions. In 2021 he was named Polynesia’s Artist of the Decade by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma, Washington. Pacific Music Awards Trust spokesperson Rev. Mua Strickson-Pua says: “Fa'anana Jerome Grey continues our Te Moana Niu A Kiwa South Pacific musical tradition for our Pacific urban migration Diaspora generation for thousands of Samoans globally born away from our beloved Samoa. “Jerome has provided us with a Samoan musical compass linking us to our Alofa of being Samoan, our Alofa for Samoa and our Alofa for Atua God Tupuaga ancestors showing us the way home. “Fa'anana epitimises that Pacific composer who musically tells our Pacific stories Tala Fa'asolopito history, our Malaga journey, and our Tauivi struggles. He tells his love for Samoa, his love for the people of Samoa and in return we the Samoans around the world sing his Pese song in unison ‘We Are Samoa’." “The Pacific Music Awards Trust humbly announces Fa'anana Jerome Grey as the Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement recipient. Fa'avae i le Atua Samoa.” Grey’s legacy will be celebrated at the Pacific Music Awards this August, with a special tribute performance created to honour his impact on the Pacific music scene." Tickets available for 2022 Pacific Music Awards After a challenging two years for the awards, artists and industry, the Pacific Music Awards are returning to a live awards event – Thursday 4th August at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, Auckland. Alongside the presentation of the awards, there will be live performances from House of Misfits, Kings, Mo. Etc, Sam V, SWIDT and Tomorrow People. Tickets are $25 and are available through the Eventfinda website. Announcing the new Creative New Zealand Award The Pacific Music Awards Trust are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Creative New Zealand, to support Pacific artists, introducing the Creative New Zealand Award to the Pacific Music Awards. The award comes under Creative New Zealand’s Pacific Arts Strategy 2018-2023 and the recipient will be announced at the 2022 Pacific Music Awards. New sponsor for Best Producer category The Trust also welcomes new sponsors, the Music Producers Guild NZ Aotearoa (MPG) and SAE institute (SAE), for the Best Producer Award. MPG and SAE are providing a prize package to the winner of the award and will work with the Pacific Music Awards Trust to provide support for producers. Kings and Pacific Music Awards Trust partner up to support independent artists The Trust is also working with local artist Kings (founder and CEO of Arch Angel Records) to introduce support for independent artists. Arch Angel Records will be presenting the ‘Arch Angel Independent Music Award’. CEO Kings says: “Arch Angel Records acknowledges the amazing work the Pacific Music Awardshas done within the music industry and would love to participate in celebrating and honoring the vast amounts of talent within the Pacific community.” ENDS Issued for the Pacific Music Awards by Pead About the Pacific Music Awards: In 2004 the Pacific Music Awards Committee (PMAC) was formed to realise a vision and the inaugural Pacific Music Awards debuted at Pasifika Festival in March 2005. Encouraged by the success of the awards the PMAC set about developing an annual event as a significant highlight of the New Zealand music industry calendar. The awards committee formed a Charitable Trust to organise and host the awards, and are driven by a simple core objective: to create and manage an event that acknowledges the success of Pacific artists, celebrates and promotes excellence in Pacific music and encourages young Pacific musicians to aspire to a higher level of achievement. Contact: Adam Warin, Pead | 021 029 01388 | [email protected]
0 Comments
Be part of the 2022 Pacific Music Awards the biggest celebration of Pacific music in Aotearoa. After a challenging two years for our awards, artists and industry, the Pacific Music Awards are returning to a bigger and better live awards event.
Tickets for the 2022 Pacific Music Awards are on sale now through Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2022/2022-pacific-music-awards/auckland/manukau-city The 2022 Pacific Music Awards will be held on Thursday 4 August at the Vodafone Events Centre. This year our Pacific music celebration will honour Connection, Collaboration and Community. Here is the list of 2022 Pacific Music Awards finalists being celebrated this year: Anthem, Bina Butta & Kennyon Brown, Diggy Dupé; Diggy Dupé , choicevaughan & P. Smith, Emily Muli, Foundation, House of Misfits, Jaro Local, Kas Futialo, Kings, Lani Alo, Lisi, Mo Etc., Poetik, Sam V, Sammielz, Samson Squad, Shepherds Reign, SWIDT, Team Dynamite, TJ Taotua, Tomorrow People, Tree, Vallé and Victor J Sefo. There will also be special awards presented on the night, including the Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award, Ministry for Pacific Peoples Special Recognition Award, Phillip Fuemana Most Promising Artist Award and the SunPix People's Choice Award - Best Pacific Artist. We want to celebrate together as a community, to honour, acknowledge and celebrate our Pacific music artists and their music. Show some love and support for Pacific music and this year's finalists...buy your tickets now! Pacific Music Awards Trust |
NewsAll of the current happenings in our pacific music world. Read. Comment. Share Archives
August 2024
Categories
All
|