‘Youngblood’ rocks
IMAGINE the feeling being part of a music band in Fiji and knowing you sang a song that has reached more than a million views on YouTube!
A few have had the privilege, but such is the experience of the Youngblood music group from Nakorovou in Rewa.
The band, featuring 19 year olds Laurence Ratuva and Waisea Delana, is led by composer Steven Vereakula, who, like his group members, was musically influenced by musical legends and composers.
caught up with the group in their village to hear their story firsthand.
With rich and diverse musical roots, the young group has thrived in the success of their music. Renowned Vude King and composer Seru Serevi, who’s also from Nakorovou, has played a major role in influencing Youngblood’s rise.
Vereakula said some members of the group are also related to Serevi.
With Serevi’s knowledge and experience as a board member of the Fiji Performing Rights Association, Vereakula said this has helped drive him and Youngblood in their music and song writing.
“We started recording in 2017 and established ourselves when our songs started playing on FM 96,” Vereakula said.
“The members all come from musical backgrounds in the same village as that of Serevi, Via ni Tebara and also the well-known Vuniyavu Methodist Church Choir.”
Vereakula said he writes and composes music in a relaxed environment.
“I hear melodies in my head and start singing a tune, then I add the lyrics to it,” he said.
The group also makes special mention of artists and musicians from the Pacific Islands and around the world, including a few well-known rappers.
These artists capitalise on their creativity with the help of technology when laying down tunes and beats.
“Artists who’ve influenced our music are Solomon Islands artists such as DMP and Onetox as well as hip hop artists like Eminem and Tupac,” said Vereakula.
“Their impact on our music has been tremendous because they mix their songs with Raggamuffin, a kind of reggae rap, and English. We also do the same with our songs.”
The first song Vereakula wrote was a tune called Noqu Lewa.
It was followed by the singles Sai au na farmer, Saioni and, most recently, Canada.
“At the moment, we’re working on our EP reggae album,” Vereakula said.
Sai au na farmer, which came out in 2018, gained immense popularity.
“When our song came out, Joana from FM96 contacted us, saying our song was playing and she told us we were the first Fijian singing group to be on FM96,” Vereakula said.
“The last time they had a Fijian group was Black Rose.
“When she told us that, we were really happy because most of us are simple village boys, and for them to put it up on FM96 was a big achievement for us.”
Vereakula also shares that the story behind their most famous song to date, Canada, scored more than a million views on Youtube.
“It’s a story of a long-distance relationship,” he said.
“It’s about this guy from Naitasiri who lives in Canada and meets a Taveuni girl on Facebook. Well, he asked me to write a song about their relationship.”
Vereakula said the boys rehearsed for two days and then took it to the studio.
“We were blown away that it had reached 1.3million views,” he said.
Part of the Youngblood’s roadtrip has involved performing live at events.
“Youngblood has performed at the FPRA music awards as well as the Tropical Cyclone Yasa Appeal, and recently the Suka Na Vuli concert.”
But like every other artist and music group, their journey has had its share of challenges.
Vereakula said some of the challenges included paying for studio sessions and financing outfits for their performances since they all lived in the village.
So, what of the future for
Youngblood.
“Our future plan is to release an EP (extended play) album early this year and a full album by the end of the year,” said Vereakula who has written 20 songs so far, eight of them for Youngblood.
Vereakula also made a great contribution to the first VT1S album.
VT1S was created as an idea of displaying and assisting artists with earning or making a living with their musical skill and talent, according to George Wasile aka Tropic Thunda in a recent Fiji Times article (https://www. fijitimes.com.fj/vt1s-revolutionalising-fijian-music/ ).
Partnering with Vereakula, the duo then created VTBOP Music, a genre of musical magic which has gained popularity since its inception.
Some of the artists that Vereakula has written songs for are Billy T, Taufa, Ratu, ONI and Taitusi Mareau.
He said while they may be young as a group, they are learning and hoping to maximise their presence using technology and digital platforms.
Youngblood’s two new members, Wise and Frank Delana, will feature in the band’s new EP.