WHEN FATAI fell from God’s grace as a teenager, she had no idea it would becoming the driving force behind her music.
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Now, she’s touring alongside Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian, set to perform in Tamworth later this month.
“My dad is a pastor, I was raised in a Christian home and brought up on the word, but my parents never forced it down our throats,” Fatai said.
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“I was an extremely rebellious kid who hated being the pastor’s daughter, I was like, ‘F the church’, that honestly was my mentality through my teen years and my parents let me do that.
“A big reason why I came to the faith is because my parents modelled it, love, acceptance, peace, unity, humility – they were walking the walk not just talking the talk.”
Growing up, Fatai’s Tongan family made up the church choir, and her culture seeps through her songs.
“I’ve probably listened to traditional music sung by my family more than the radio so I think naturally it seeped into my veins, if you listen carefully enough to the rhythms and the chord choices you will experience my Tongan culture,” she said.
“I actually hope to implement that more as I grow older and learn more about my roots because I am Aussie at heart and a first generation Australian – the older I’ve gotten I’ve thought I don’t know enough about my culture.
“I think with age and with time I will infuse it a bit more into my music.”
The Melbourne born singer rose to fame after she was named a semi-finalist on The Voice.
Fatai first met Guy Sebastian when he called her management to ask if she would feature on his track Lightning.
Her music is a mixture of R&B, soul, jazz and folk, influenced by gospel – and she recorded her first EP Undone in the comfort of her own backyard.
“I was broke as hell,” she said.
“It was very rushed and last minute but I work best under pressure – the creative juices were flowing and it played really well to who I am in music, as a person.
“Simplicity is what I love most and expressing authenticity for me at that time, it was perfect to strip everything down and show people me at my core.”
Recorded in 2015, Fatai said she is making a concerted effort to move away from Undone – three years older and wiser, she feels she has more experience to draw from.
“A lot of life has been lived,” she said.
“I’m now drawing from a part of me I was really afraid of, the vulnerable side.
“Now I’m realising we all go through this shit, the pain, heartache, depression and anxiety – I’m tapping into it and it hurts so much but it’s necessary for us artists to use our platform to be a voice.”
Fatai will perform with Guy Sebastian at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre on Saturday June 30.
For more information visit guysebastian.com.