Working with the collaborators of top American artists Ciara and Chris Brown, Sam V spoke to the Island Roots, Auckland Ways podcast about the experience.
“I was going to maybe two or three open mic nights a week, just getting my feet wet. All the musos are gun - all the singers are famous - either locally or internationally.
“There’s a little bit of hesitancy, obviously, because I’m a fair-skinned dude - so maybe they assume that I’m not going to be great, especially at RnB. I asked to do Luther Vandross, Never Too Much.”
A longtime resident of Auckland CBD, even a city slicker like himself was in awe of what the United States had to offer.
“We went to a club in West Hollywood. Over there, [it’s] maybe $50 US, so $95 or $100 New Zealand for two Red Bull vodkas. You see [drugs]. If you want that stuff, you’ll find it.”
More support needed for Pacific artists
Back home now, Sam V is not coy about the state of music - particularly for Pasifika.
There are some artists who receive international acclaim but stop short at being viewed the same in New Zealand, he said.
“We treat our really talented people like the bro next door.
“So what you’ll see in America, when an artist comes through to any kind of platform in the media, they hype it up. This is a superstar coming through.
“Whereas sometimes, I find even with our media over here, we get the bro next door treatment. So, none of our artists really get a larger-than-life treatment that allows them to grow bigger than here.”
Listen to the full episode for more from Sam V about his album: You Left Your Things Here, his favourite RnB artists and schooling as a young music artist.
Island Roots, Auckland Ways is hosted by Flava radio host Mariner ‘Maz’ Fagaiava and academic Allyssa Verner-Pula. New episodes are available every Thursday.
You can follow the podcast on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
