Auckland pop musician Lepani started out making music in his bedroom. Within a few years he was signed to Sony and, off the back of his single 'Pocket Full of Love', was invited to go on tour with Stan Walker.
Lepani has just released his first EP In The Moment. Tony Stamp caught up with him to talk about touring with Stan, finding time to keep coaching and playing rugby, and writing songs about his friend’s breakups.
Lepani Photo: supplied
So how did he get to where he is today?
Lepani moved to New Zealand from Fiji aged 4 with his family. And it happens that music runs in the family.
"My whole family sings. My sister is the best, then my mum, then me, then my dad. Once you hear my sister you'll understand why... she studied vocal performance."
As for Lepani, he learned by watching Youtube videos - in fact, that's how he got into making music while he was in high school.
His mother had given him a disc with music making software.
"I was just trying make beats and stuff. That's where it started. I think I was about 14, 15. They were really bad back then."
Singing was a family thing - at home, at church. "Everywhere, we'd sing. At every family gathering, there was singing with my aunties, uncles, cousins.
"It's just a Fijian thing - when we get together there's always at least half the house that's singing so I was just surrounded by singing and music my whole life."
About the same time - when he was in his mid-teens - Lepani's singing was noticed.
"It started at my mates place, I was playing his guitar... we hung out there every Friday and then a couple of my friends heard me [and] told me I should audition for the glee club they were just starting."
But at his school, he was the only Pacific Island student among white and asian pupils, and he wanted to come across as tough.
"They caught me out there. And then made me go audition for glee. That was embarrassing at first but then my music teacher heard me and he was like 'you need ... to make music'."
Lepani got signed to a label after a friend - now his manager - was told about Lepani's music about two years ago and asked to be sent some.
"And here we are."
His first single was good enough that Stan Walker got him on tour for five weeks.
