Etta’s love for music
THE upbeat song 2 Bags Waca La has become quite popular in Fiji all thanks to singer Etta Gonerogo, who simply penned out her experience of a simple kava session with friends in Lami.
Anarieta Sabua Leduaivosaki, who goes by her stage name Etta Gonerogo, has become a household name being in the music industry for more than 20 years.
Known for her entertaining and bubbly personality, Etta shares how she has quickly progressed in an industry that nurtures raw talents and makes something out of artists who want to make it big as a performer.
A live performer at heart, Etta said performing live gigs in resorts had developed her ability to be more confident on stage and exposed her to a different environment.
Etta is from Vadravadra in Gau and has maternal links to Naravuka Village in Seaqaqa, Macuata, which gives a good blend to her bubbly personality.
For her music, she often looks up to female artists such as Lia Osbourne, Laisa Vulakoro and Cathy Nailatikau Rice who guided her with her music and nurtured her as an artist.
“Music motivates her to overcome barriers in life,” she said.
She has seven children, who she considers her pride and joy, and all her hard work in the industry is all for her children’s upbringing.
Being a singer and song composer, Etta looks at real issues people face and also highlights the good experiences — and puts words on paper for lyrics. This is so people could make a personal connection to her songs and hopefully relate to it easily.
“The best decade for me as a singer was back in the late ‘90s, especially since I had slowly tapped into writing my own songs,” she said.
She said from 2000 to 2002 artists struggled to get gigs following the coup.
“Gigs were cancelled and artists had to find alternative ways to earn an income,” she said.
Looking back, Etta said she wouldn’t change anything as far as her musical career was concerned because she loved being a singer and her experiences — whether good or bad —had shaped her to what she has become today.