Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Taulia Lave is not your typical country music artist. He’s 47 years old and Samoan.

There’s not a lot of Polynesian country stars out there, but he’s also at a crossroads: Play the music he loves full-time in Nashville or possibly live with regrets.

It’s the self-deprecating laugh that gets your attention. He laughed from deep within when I mentioned there were no country artists who looked like him. He then said, “There’s nobody, not even close.”

Then the voice, described as smooth and soaked in bourbon, grabs you from there.

Lave is an intimidating figure. He is a former college football player and cop, and now at 47 years old, he’s a country artist on a mission to be the genre’s next rising star.

“My love for country music came from my parents. Both of my parents are from Samoa,” so when they moved to the coast of Waiʻanae, Oʻahu, “all we listened to was Samoan music, Motown music and country music.” Lave said.