From Samoa to the top of the charts
NEW Kiwi operatic singing sensation SOL3 MIO is made up of two tenor brothers, Pene and Amitai Pati, and their baritone cousin Moses Mackay, from Auckland. The young trio, of Samoan heritage, are blazing an extraordinary trail. In New Zealand their music – an unlikely blend of Puccini and the Pacific – is outselling the other current Kiwi megastar Lorde. Their debut self-titled album is soon to be released in the UK. Here, Pene Pati explains how their sudden success has expanded their horizons… THANKS to our recent success in New Zealand, we’ve been lucky enough to travel around the North and South Islands. We’ve been up and down the whole coast performing and promoting our debut album. I haven’t been right up to the north of the North Island but I think I’ve been everywhere else.
I really love Rotorua and Nelson – and wherever we are in New Zealand, we love the sea. Now we’re in the UK, it’s probably the Pacific I miss more than anything.
We each probably go back to Samoa at least once a year. Most of our family lives there and we love getting back to catch up with everybody.
It takes about three hours to fly from Auckland to Samoa so it’s really not that far.
Samoa has become much more of a holiday place now for New Zealanders – there are lots of top-notch resorts there, but when we go home we don’t stay in a resort, unfortunately.
Singing is a big thing for Samoans. There’s all sorts of music there, including great hip-hop musicians.
In terms of worldwide recognition, it’s pretty much rugby that Samoa is known for, rather than opera. At our concerts, funnily enough, people often ask us to do the haka – and we do. In fact, we do a great haka!
I started travelling around the world singing in 2005 when I first flew from New Zealand to go to the UK on a tour. But the real travelling
began when the singing career started to take off three years ago.
Of the places I’ve visited so far, I suppose New York has made the biggest impression. I really love it. But I also adore Paris, and Spain. One place I can’t get on with, though, is Hong Kong – it was a bit overwhelming for me. I went there on my own and ended up kind of running away.
Recently I’ve been studying at the San Francisco Opera and I’ve really loved it there.
In San Francisco the culture, surprisingly, is like Wellington back at home in New Zealand – there are loads of events and the city is full of great colour.
For the three of us to achieve what we have, to see so many wonderful places, it’s almost like something from opera itself: a bit of a fairy story.
Sol3 Mio’s debut album is out on October 6 on Decca. They tour the UK with Alfie Boe from November 29 to December 13. Tickets to see Sol3 Mio are on sale now via gigsandtours.com (0844 811 0051) and ticketmaster. co.uk (0844 826 2826).