3 Was religion a large part of your upbringing?
Yes, my parents are devout Christians. Our family goes to the Methodist Church three times on Sundays.
4 Can you remember the point when you realised you didn't have to do as your father asked?
Yes. I was 23, I'd come home from doing my MA in Wales and I told Dad I wasn't going to church every Sunday anymore. That was very, very hard for him to take. I like to go to church when the feeling's built up inside me. I told him even though I have my own point of view, I'll always respect God and my parents.
5 Your parents moved from Samoa to Mangere in 1989. Was education a priority?
Absolutely. Dad always strongly encouraged us to get degrees. He'd say "Don't go chasing the girls, chase your education first and once that's sorted the girls will chase you." That was his line every time. My two older sisters and younger brother all have degrees, too. I never thought of pursuing music as a career. It's so embedded in Samoan culture it's not really seen as a job. That changed when I was 21 and I won the NZ Aria. This Samoan boy walked in and took first prize in New Zealand's biggest opera competition!
6 When have you failed?
In 2013, I won a fellowship with the San Francisco Opera. The media over there went absolutely nuts. They were calling me the next Pavarotti. One headline was "The Tenor Who Could Be King". But I turned it down to focus on Sol3 Mio which had just started its rise. I told them I'd be back in two years but I copped a lot of flak, the media were saying I gave up and didn't have what it takes. At the time I felt like I'd failed them and failed myself.
7 How did you come back from that?
After a day of turning things over in my head I decided to go out and compete in every competition I could to reinstate my name. It's probably because of how I was raised. We had very little so we learned how to make do with what we had, see the light in the bad stuff. Dad used to work day shift and mum worked night shift until my sister was old enough to care for us - about 10 or 12. Then they'd both work day and night. So if they could grind it out with four kids like that then I needed to do it for them because they left Samoa in the hopes we'd have a better future.
8 What were your biggest international wins?
I won a huge competition in Spain last year called the Montserrat Caballe. This year, at the World Opera Competition, which is like the singing Olympics hosted by Placido Domingo at Covent Garden, I got second place and I won the Audience Price which everyone wants because it means people will pay to see you. So after all that I turned up at the San Francisco Opera's door and said, "I told you I'd be back in two years". I am honoured to start my Fellowship there in January.
9 Do you fear that not being elitist about opera damages your credibility in that world?
Yes. That was my biggest concern when we first started Sol3 Mio. The competitions were a way to combat that. The only person to successfully straddle both worlds was Pavarotti. He was an absolute purist in his opera career and then on the side he was singing the Spice Girls and Michael Bolton. Our new album has real, heavy opera like arias from Puccini's La Boheme alongside Coldplay's Fix You and Tom Jones' Delilah. We want to prove what we're capable of but also break down the barriers between opera and pop.
10 You proposed to your girlfriend Amina Edris live on stage at Villa Maria last summer and you're marrying at the same venue in January. How did you meet?
We met at opera school in Christchurch. Amina's a soprano. It was funny - her roommate was dating my roommate and we were the two spare wheels that would find each other outside reading a book. She loved me before Sol3 Mio's success so I know she loves me for who I am. I'm a very lucky man.
11 Is there a song on your new album that you find particularly emotional?
Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross. It's so emotional I actually don't know how I'm going to perform it. For my cousin Moses and my brother Amitai and myself, our fathers have been our biggest role models when it comes to singing. This song speaks about wishing for one more dance with a father who has passed on to heaven. It took a long time to record because you have to set the mood in the studio, turn off the lights, have little candles and sing with complete honesty. We're actually on the brink of tears singing those words and people can hear that in your voice.
12 What did your father think when he heard it?
He's never been a hugely emotional person, fathers are like that, but I played him our album in the car yesterday and after this huge song I saw him turn and quietly wipe the tears from his cheeks. I didn't say anything but I think he's more or less proud.
Sol3 Mio are touring their new album On Another Note nationally in February and March - dates and tickets on www.civicevents.co.nz.
