Auckland, NEW ZEALAND — Samoan singer-songwriter Fa'anana Jerome Grey will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement award as the 2022 Pacific Music Awards in August return to the life stage.

Grey’s iconic song ‘We Are Samoa’ became the unofficial anthem of the country, penned while Grey was homesick while traveling through Alaska in the late 1970s.

The song sent shockwaves through the industry and propelled Grey to stardom, including performing for former US President Jimmy Carter and Congress in 1980.

Prior to this, Grey worked with fellow musicians Seminary Uesele and Harry Sinapi, recording as a trio known as the Samoan Three.

Established in 1971, the Samoan Three covered contemporary songs by artists like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis.

The group was notable for their cultural versatility, singing songs in a variety of languages including Spanish, Latin, Hawaiian, Tahitian and Fijian.

A stalwart of Pacific music, Grey’s impact and legacy can be felt across the culture. His unique style pushed the boundaries and broke through an invisible barrier of what traditional music composition and entertainment across the Pacific was at that time.

New Pacific artists like Sol3 Mio, The Katinas, Lapi Mariner, Jamoa Jam, and Kapono Beamer were inspired by his work, with many of them recording covers of his original compositions.

In 2021 he was named Polynesia’s Artist of the Decade by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma, Washington.

Pacific Music Awards Trust spokesperson Rev. Mua Strickson-Pua says: “Fa'anana Jerome Grey continues our Te Moana Niu A Kiwa South Pacific musical tradition for our Pacific urban migration Diaspora generation for thousands of Samoans globally born away from our beloved Samoa. 

“Jerome has provided us with a Samoan musical compass linking us to our Alofa of being Samoan, our Alofa for Samoa and our Alofa for Atua God Tupuaga ancestors showing us the way home.

“Fa'anana epitomizes that Pacific composer who musically tells our Pacific stories Tala Fa'asolopito history, our Malaga journey, and our Tauivi struggles. He tells his love for Samoa, his love for the people of Samoa and in return we the Samoans around the world sing his Pese song in unison ‘We Are Samoa’.

“The Pacific Music Awards Trust humbly announces Fa'anana Jerome Grey as the Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement recipient. Fa'avae i le Atua Samoa.”

Grey’s legacy will be celebrated at the Pacific Music Awards this August, with a special tribute performance created to honor his impact on the Pacific music scene.

2022 PACIFIC MUSIC AWARDS

After a challenging two years for the awards, artists and industry, the Pacific Music Awards are returning to a live awards event – Thursday August 4, at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, Auckland.

Alongside the presentation of the awards, there will be live performances from House of Misfits, Kings, Mo. Etc, Sam V, SWIDT and Tomorrow People.

BACKGROUND

In 2004 the Pacific Music Awards Committee (PMAC) was formed to realze a vision and the inaugural Pacific Music Awards debuted at Pasifika Festival in March 2005. Encouraged by the success of the awards the PMAC set about developing an annual event as a significant highlight of the New Zealand music industry calendar.

The awards committee formed a Charitable Trust to organize and host the awards, and are driven by a simple core objective: to create and manage an event that acknowledges the success of Pacific artists, celebrates and promotes excellence in Pacific music and encourages young Pacific musicians to aspire to a higher level of achievement.