Spy: Sol3 Mio's Shorty Street cliffhanger

From left: Pene Pati, Amitai Pati, Moses Mackay. Photo / Supplied

In two short years, Sol3 Mio have become one of New Zealand's most successful and popular musical acts.

The opera trio - two tenor brothers Pene and Amitai Pati from Mangere, and their North Shore baritone cousin Moses Mackay - are fast becoming global megastars.

That profile will only continue to soar over the next seven weeks when they sing the Rugby World Cup anthem, a cover of Ed Sheeran's hit I See Fire. They're also preparing to release a new single, Stella, and an album, On Another Note.

Kiwis are set to see another side of Sol3 Mio's talents later this year as they have signed on to appear in the Christmas cliffhanger for our most-loved soap, Shortland Street.

Coincidentally, Sheeran made a guest appearance on Shortland Street last year.

A South Pacific Pictures spokesperson told Spy it was "pulling out all the stops" for the Christmas cliff-hanger. There will be romance, intrigue and tragedy on a grand scale.

Every character will have changes to their storyline in one way or another.

"We are thrilled to be able to have Sol3 Mio appear on the show. We can't say too much but the song they are performing will be the perfect soundtrack to our dramatic end of year."

The last three months of 2015 will be a busy time for Sol3 Mio.

As well as World Cup commitments, an album launch and filming on Shortland Street, Spy thinks the boys may dominate at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards in November.

Organisers are tight-lipped on the contenders for this year's' awards but we will know the finalists on October 15.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out that, based on album sales alone, Sol3 Mio will be in the running for an award at the November 19 event. The trio was one of the most popular performers at last year's awards and charmed the audience, traditionally far more comfortable with rock than opera.