Reggae artist Swiss will perform in Rotorua next weekend.
Reggae artist Swiss will perform in Rotorua next weekend.
Young Kiwi reggae singer Swiss is a self made kind of guy.
When he was 13 he started writing his own songs in the hope of getting somewhere later.
At 14 he began turning those songs into real music - playing on the family computer and recording himself so he couldlisten to the words he had written. Asked what his songs were about back then, he laughs.
"What else do boys that age write about? Girls! I just started off writing love songs . . . and over time I fell in love with the whole buzz of making music and being able to listen to myself on a CD that I burned on the computer. "I thought I sounded like a professional singer back then. It's just one of those things - hearing myself on a CD pushed me and inspired me to chase bigger dreams."
Real name Pepa Manu, he coined the name Swiss on the back of being naughty at school, when he would tag the word "Swiss" all over the place. He's grown up since then and at 21 has already achieved many dreams.
Those earlier mixes slowly led to him releasing his stuff on the internet, which eventually led to his self-released single and video, Slow Wind. He funded his own tours in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Hawaii and Australia and he soon got noticed by South Auckland record label Dawn Raid.
His songs, including Time of the Month, Miss Liquor, Slow Wind and the remake of classic hit Blue Bayou have had a huge amount of radio play.
The Wellington-born star decided to make the move back to New Zealand last year, leaving his parents and family in Australia, where they had moved when he was 13 to support an older brother playing professional rugby league.
He is currently on tour releasing new beats and new EPs and will play at Rotorua's Kalah Bar next Saturday during the first weekend of the Kurangaituku netball tournament.
Owner Janina Khan said it was always a privilege hosting Swiss, and even better that the people who were travelling for netball that weekend had the opportunity to see one of New Zealand's talented singers live, up close and personal.
? Tickets to hear Swiss are $25, withgroup discounts available.
