Palmolive is FJFW’s official sponsor

Fiji Fashion Week (FJFW) received a timely boost after Colgate-Palmolive Fiji (CP) renewed its sponsorship, making Palmolive the official partner of the Pacific’s premier fashion event for the 2021 and 2022, yesterday. CP general manager, Hiten Lal and FJFW managing director, Ellen Whippy-Knight sealed the deal virtually reaffirming the oral, personal and home care giant’s...

The ‘rubbish halls’ and swaying couples

BACK in the day, “rubbish halls” were the dance venues of choice for Fijians living in rural and peri-urban areas. The roofing iron, bamboo and coconut leaf sheds were where villagers or rural dwellers would gather on the weekends to unwind after a hard week’s toil. There, they would sit in groups around a tanoa...

Konrote to host first solo fashion show

Fashion designer Aisea Konrote will be hosting his first solo-fashion show at the Yue Lai Hotel in Suva today. He said this fashion event would be unique because he would be highlighting the importance of respecting women. “I’ve done many fashion shows, participated in Fiji Fashion Week, represented Fiji abroad for a couple of years, but this year,...

Michelle’s passion, love for music

SHE’S been compared with Sade, and some have even likened her voice to that of Whitney Houston. “I was like, ‘oh please’,” she said in dubiety. Her name is Michelle Rounds and anyone who followed the Suva music scene during the 1980s and 1990s will recall her jazzy and scatty style. At a time when...

Samli finally releases her dream album

UTRA Samli has been singing Hindu religious songs or spiritual chants known as kirtan from as far back as she can remember. The 60-year-old grandmother’s dream of capturing her voice on record finally came true when she released her first kirtan album in 2014. The former Boubale, Bulileka, Labasa resident said her four children, who...

Group bounces back with a love song

ONE of the world’s biggest reggae bands, UB40, shares a close affiliation with Fiji. I’m not speaking about the English group’s 2006 tour of the country or the song Fijian Sunset penned by lead singer Ali Campbell, inspired by his trip here. UB40 was signed to Graduate Records, the same company that signed Whizz For...

Pandemic a blessing in disguise for musician

THE COVID-19 pandemic has been a blessing in disguise for musician William Waqanibaravi enabling him to work on his newly released album Rai Lesu. Known in the local music industry as Big Wilz, the Dakuiloa native of Oneata said the pandemic gave him time to finish his album especially after being laid off from Fiji...

Music group makes a name for itself

NAMADI Heights in Suva is renowned as the home to some of the Capital City’s more affluent citizens. But tucked behind the gated homes and luxurious structures is an informal settlement that is home to hundreds who are trying to eke out a living and better their lives. And out of the corrugated iron and...

Shoeshine boys turn to music

IN 1979, concerned about the plight of shoeshine boys in Suva, former social justice advocate and Catholic priest Father Kevin Barr formed a music group called Super Shine 81. Interestingly enough, the group was made up of descendants of early settlers from the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu who had made Suva their home. One of...

Musician’s exposure helps village band

Nabaka Village, Vanua Levu is not a name that comes to mind when one thinks about the Fijian music scene. But a quick delve into the village’s past and it becomes obvious there were a few musicians who developed enough skills to allow them to entertain in hotels around Savusavu in the ’70s and ’80s....

The end of an era

Fiji has lost one of her greatest singers and entertainers of all time with the passing yesterday of legendary vocalist Jese Mucunabitu. He was 70 and would have celebrated his 71st birthday next month. In a career that spanned more than 40 years, Mucunabitu’s unique golden voice brought to life classic iTaukei songs and compositions...

Choir group formed during a hurricane

Every choir group has its own unique story to tell. And one that has an interesting tale is the Vunimono Choir from Nausori. The gospel singing group was formed during Hurricane Bebe in 1972. In the midst of Bebe, one of the biggest storms at the time, the people of Vunimono Village were told to...

Paula’s wired for sound

When one hears of the Uprising Music Festival, they think of the drinks, the crowd and the great music that comes with it. The masses are often lost to the hard work that goes in to making the annual event as explosive as it is. The good news is nothing has changed when it comes...

Tough love Samson’s strength

Entrepreneurship came easy because as a child Samson Lee learned that every part of the business process costs something. Growing up in Nadi, Samson was the youngest of four children and was always trying new things and pushing boundaries and while his parents were very supportive, they charged him for everything the leading fashion designer...

Designer shifts base

Bondi Beach in Sydney is one of Australia’s most iconic beaches, popular with surfers, holidaymakers and health conscious people who go to enjoy the dramatic scenery. Nadi-based Tracey Farrington brings that vibe alive in the resort wear she has produced for over 25 years that the fashionable holidaymakers can pick up at some of Australia’s...

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