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Backtracks | Kumar’s inspirational musical journey
Umesh Kumar spends most of his leisure time singing bhajan. The 54-year-old building foreman of Rovadrau, Navua, has always loved singing and could be found humming a tune since his early years. He was mainly inspired by his mum, who was a well-known lokgeet singer of Navua. In fact, his mum Imla Wati wrote and...
FPRA Music Awards | Uluilakeba scoops premier award
Suliasi Uluilakeba reigned supreme at the 2023 Fiji Performing Rights Association Music Awards as he scooped three awards in Suva. The Kere Vude artist took home the Best Recording Engineer, Artist of the Year, and the Premier Award of the night the Best Composition Award. Dedicating his award to his late father who passed away...
FPRA receives sponsorship for two music awards
The Fiji Performing Rights Association Ltd (FPRA) received sponsorship money for two awards in the 2023 FPRA Music Awards. The awards will be held at Grand Pacific Hotel on Saturday. The best Hindi music award, which carries a prizemoney of $5000 cash, was sponsored by Ashabhai & Co. Pte Ltd and the best gospel music...
Gumatua shares musical journey
For many people, the inability to pursue secondary school education would be viewed as a setback. But not so for Isireli Gumatua, one of three persons nominated in the Best Recording Engineer category for the upcoming 2023 FIPRA Music Awards. His parents inability to pay school fees resulted in the Daku Village, Tailevu, native learning...
Triple nomination for Natalie
To have three original songs nominated for four music awards is outstanding. Not many can make that claim, but Natalie Raikadroka certainly can. Her songs Good Love (Feat. Phil Dakei) and Rockin Like That (Feat. Drixstar) — are nominated in the Best English Song category at the upcoming Fiji Performing Rights Association’s 2023 Music Awards...
The Description nominated for best Hindi song category
Composer, Punal Chand, also known as ‘The Description’, says to be nominated for the upcoming 2023 FIPRA Music Awards is an honour. His songs Sochta Hoon Zara (Feat Sunidhi Raj) and Kho Gaya (Feat Sunidhi Raj) — are nominated in the Best Hindi Song category. “To be honest, it was unexpected that my songs would...
Show brings audience to their feet
THE Suva Soul Revival Show had the crowd on their feet as they danced into the night last Friday at Kanalevu Kitchen, Laucala Bay Rd in Suva. Lead singer of ‘The Gang’, Saki Kaloumaira, said the show was about bringing back soul and old-school music. “We have been having these shows for the past two...
Rapper Cardi B wins California trial over explicit album cover art
(Reuters) -A California federal jury on Friday rejected claims that musician Cardi B misused a man’s image on the cover of her first 2016 mixtape album. The cover of “Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1” did not violate plaintiff Kevin Michael Brophy’s publicity or privacy rights by depicting an altered photo of another man with Brophy’s...
Simon Cowell’s new TikTok project gives users unreleased music
(Reuters) – Renowned talent scout Simon Cowell is back, but this time he is focused on the social media platform, TikTok. With the international “Got Talent” TV series, “American Idol” and many more projects already under his belt, Cowell is ready to help aspiring musicians on TikTok share their unique sounds with the world. Cowell...
K-pop star BTS member Jin to release first solo single next week ahead of military duty
SEOUL (Reuters) – K-pop singer Jin, a member of the hit boy band BTS, will release his first official solo single next week, the seven-member band’s agency said on Wednesday, following this week’s announcement that he will soon start military duty. The song, titled ‘The Astronaut’, will be released on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m....
Little Simz wins Mercury Prize for album “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert”
LONDON (Reuters) – Rapper Little Simz won the Mercury Prize for her fourth studio album “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” on Tuesday, triumphing over contenders including Harry Styles and indie rock duo Wet Leg for the British music award. The 28-year-old, previously nominated in 2019 for album “Grey Area”, was among favourites to scoop the...
Rapper Coolio, known for ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’, dies in Los Angeles at 59
(Reuters) – The rapper Coolio has died, NBC Los Angeles reported Wednesday, citing his manager, Jarez Posey. The artist, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., may have died of a heart attack, although an official cause of death has not yet been released, the television station reported, citing Posey. Coolio was best known...
Backtracks: Prasad’s passion for religious songs
Patrick Prasad’s love for music started at a very young age. Prasad, reputed to be one of Fiji’s most prominent bhajan singers, says his thirst for spiritual knowledge and traditional music has led him a long way. “I first started singing kirtan when I was in Year 6 in my village mandali, and at that...
Backtracks: Song of ancestral gods, gold deposits
The song Lolo Mai Naua composed by Eminoni Qarailawaki, manager of village music group Seniboro Junior, relives the life of their ancestral god, Ratu Vunibula – the eight-headed snake – and the villagers of Sawanikula in the district of Muaira, Naitasiri. Passed down through the generations, Qarailawaki composed a song about the legend in 2011 while singing for another group, Drodrolagi kei Delainava. For...
BACKTRACKS: A family affair
If you follow The Fiji Times Facebook page, and were scrolling through your newsfeed on New Year’s Day, you would have come across a video of a family band playing at Namadi, in Suva. They were the Kaloucava Family Band, made up of Taione Kaloucava, his daughters Leba and Jan, his brother Alden Kaloucava, niece Maria, and his friend Atu Luvena. They formed their little band during...
