MUSIC - A WAY OF HEALING
Damudamu: Music is our way of healing
NOQU Seni Tagimoucia by Naigigi Boys featuring Kerry Damudamu and Josefa Namatua is taking the iTaukei music charts by storm.
Released last month, the song has chalked up in excess of 230,000 views and looks set to become yet another hit for Damudamu — the man dubbed as the king of kavoro songs.
Damudamu, who now lives in the United States, recorded his parts at Bakers Studio Rockford Illinois and his nephew Josefa Namatua recorded his vocals at Raven Studios, Fiji, under the guidance of engineer Sireli Gumatua.
The music was programmed by Adriu Saranuku and featured upbeats by DJ Neps.
The final mix was produced by Raven Studios Fiji after Damudamu e-mailed his vocals to Gumatua.
The internet has certainly changed the way music is produced in the world today.
“The video was shot at Rockford Illinois by Jr Erenatau under his new company called ‘Pacific Island Productions Fiji’, while my nephew’s video was shot by Arisi See Saw Productions in Fiji and the final editing was also done by See Saw Productions,” Damudamu explained.
Damudamu said Noqu Seni Tagimoucia was inspired after a young man from Tailevu approached him to write a song about his broken relationship.
“He was working on the Ro/ Ro ferry Lomaiviti Princess when he met a beautiful girl from the Garden Island of Taveuni on one of his journeys.
“The young man started courting the girl, who at the time was studying at Fiji National University in Suva.
“He would sometimes take her to his village in Tailevu for the school holiday and soon she fell pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful girl in 2017.
“The couple planned to get engaged after Christmas that year but something happened and the young father was convicted for a crime he did not commit and sent to prison.
“Before leaving his family to serve time in prison, he laments about how his girlfriend and the mother of his child promised to stay true and faithful to him and wait for his return.
“The guy told me that while serving time, he often prayed and fasted for his relationship and family.
“However, rumours started surfacing that the mother of his child was having an affair with another man.
“Broken hearted, he gave her the benefit of the doubt but when he completed his sentence, he saw for himself that the rumours were true.
“And as heartbreaking as it was, he forgave her and only asked that their little girl be well looked after and promised he would always support her in every way.”
Damudamu said despite the song being released a month ago, it had amassed 232,000 hits on You Tube.
Damudamu said since he first began recording in 1996, he has produced 12 albums.
But he enjoyed his first major hit with Rosi Ni Qamea in 2012, followed by Alalaini, Rosi Ni
Nadroga later the same year. “I think that’s where the ‘Rosi’ trend started.”
When quizzed about why
“kavoro” songs and how he had set the trend, Damudamu said his songs just reflected the harsh realities of life.
“The way I see it, it’s not so much about heartbreak but the healing process.
“Telling people about your pain, making a song out of it, is taking a load off your shoulders.
“Making music about heartbreak is not just a Fijian thing. It’s universal.
“It doesn’t mean we’re a broken people, it means music is our way of healing.”
Making music about heartbreak is not just a Fijian thing. It’s universal. It doesn’t mean we’re broken people, it means music is our way of healing. – Kerry Damudamu