Acclaimed Polynesian singer Olivia Foa’i (Te Vaka) has released “Sunlight,” a warm song of optimism and gratitude, written on the rainiest of days. The feel-good, bilingual track features lyrics in both English and Gagana Tokelau; a Polynesian language with only 4,000 speakers.
The song was released on October 20th 2022, appropriately leading into Aotearoa’s Tokelau Language Week celebrations.
Olivia Foa’i says about the inspiration behind the song: “Sometimes we think that emotional depth lies only in sadness and hurt, but I think joy is profound. I think peace is incredibly profound. If you can still find light in all the darkness, if you can nurture peace amongst all the chaos. That’s deep.”
The song is written by Olivia and produced by her brother, Matatia (Te Vaka). Mixed in with the modern drum kit is the Polynesian pātē (log drum) played in Matatia’s signature style. The upcoming music video will feature the rarely-seen-on-the-world-stage Tokelau fatele (Tokelau dance).
Candid, Olivia Foa’i’s debut album, earned her the Tui for Best Pacific Album in the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards and Best Female Artist in the Pacific Music Awards of the same year.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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