Savage's roar talent

Savage

It's a relief to know Savage can talk to you without shouting.

The Auckland rapper - who jumped at playing Savage Santa for us - has a fearsome vocal style on stage and in videos. Think sergeant major with better rhymes.

But sitting across from him at Dawn Raid Studios, with his as yet unfinished debut album thudding through the wall, he is quietly spoken and all smiles.

Why did you gain such a profile this year without even releasing anything?

A lot of people compliment me on my voice. I was on the Major Flavours tour and we were heading to Dunedin when I got a call from P-Money and he asked me if I wanted to jump on the [Not Many] Remix with Scribe. I said, "That's cool". That was on a Saturday, we did the verse on the Monday night, recorded it Wednesday night and the video clip was done on Sunday night. It turned out to be one of the songs of New Zealand. I got Songwriter of the Year at the Tui Awards. To me, songwriter of the year is the biggest award you can get.

Tell us more about your voice. Can Savage talk normally?

People think I walk around going, "What! What!" But my style now, compared with the style I started off with, is totally different. I enjoy the style I've got now 'cause it's original to me. Devolo [from the Deceptikonz] brought it out of me. He wrote the hook to Stop, Drop and Roll and needed a real strong voice to do this part. I did it in my normal tone and he said, "Nah, you need to yell it. Bring it out more". I went back into the recording booth and went at it. When the song came out, people were loving my voice so I just took it and ran with it.

Many rate you as the one with the songs to make a hit overseas. Are you?

I think me and the boys have got what it takes to take on the world, and the American market. And it's just a matter of being patient and learning as you go. When we first started out we just wanted to work in our own backyard and earn respect in New Zealand, and that's what we've done. Now we've taken our first step over to Australia, and right now Stop, Drop and Roll is really big over there. I've got all my family ringing me up and saying they've seen the clip. Hopefully in the future I've got a shot at the American market. And if I do I'll give it all. I've always been competitive.

I've always dreamt of this hip-hop music, and this hip-hop stuff and back then it was a long shot. To achieve what I've done now just says a lot about putting your mind and heart into it.

What are your first memories of meeting up with Mareko and the Deceptikonz?

Mareko and I met in 1995. At the time I was living in Samoa and went to school for about three years.

Were you born in New Zealand or Samoa?

I was born here but I went back over in 1991 for six months, and then I went back over in '93 until '95 and when I came back I was introduced to Mareko. I had already started writing [rhymes] but I had no idea he was into hip-hop and that he was writing at the time. But he had a demo floating round on the streets and I got a hold of it.

I joined Deceptikonz when Mareko started it, but then I left because me and my family moved to the city 'cause my sister was going to university. She needed us to help her pay the bills and it was too far for me to go [back to South Auckland] to record demos. But I really wanted to get back into it and in 1998, that's when I started bussing down.

Do you live in South Auckland now?

No. We moved to the city in '98 but this is my last year there because my sister is graduating. My brother and my sister really love it up in Central, so they'll stay up there, but I really want to move back so I'm closer to both Dawn Raid and to the rest of my friends and family.

What is going to be uniquely Savage about the album? There's a lot of hip-hop coming out of New Zealand.

It's more advanced, and the production ... once you hear the production you'll know straight away that it's been stepped up. What separates my album from anyone else is that it's more diverse. I can do a song about a girl but not make it cheesy and then I can do a hardcore song.

It's about how I feel right now and I feel happy in my life. Before I was an angry teenager, but right now I'm really happy and it shows in the album. Plus, it's got experiences in there that I know a lot of the South Auckland people are going through.

I'm from the same place and I went through the same thing, but I've achieved my goals and I've come this far, so if I can do it, then everyone else can.


LOWDOWN


WHO: Savage (real name Demetrius Savelio)


WHAT: The single, Swing!, out in January. Also appears on: Deceptikonz - Elimination; Mareko - White Sunday; and Scribe - Not Many (The Remix)


DEBUT ALBUM: Moonshine due out in March