LEAO Releases New Single & Video For LALELEI

Formed from a Pacific heart, LEAO is a Samoan musical project formed up of guitarist/vocalist David Feauai-Afaese, bassist Navakatoa Tekela-Pule, steel guitarist Levi Gemmell and drummer Rāhana Tito-Taylor.

With a deep adoration for the Pacific musical reference and a desire to contribute contemporary musical ideas, LEAO synthesises non-traditional tonalities with a fa’asamoa spirit, creating what some have called ‘niu wave’ and ‘Pacific neo psychedelia” music. LEAO has performed with musical icons from Aotearoa and beyond, including Neil Finn and Tinariwen, has received multiple NZ radio awards and performed a live-to-air with NTS, and has had music appear in film on Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ and Miki Magasiva’s ‘Tinā’.

Today LEAO releases LALELEI, the final single from their forthcoming full-length album: THE SAMOA TAPES. Following this release LEAO will embark on a trip to the United Kingdom to perform at The Great Escape festival in Brighton before touring with Tinariwen throughout Scandinavia.

“E le uma le alofa a'o le mitamita ua taunuu manuia lou faamoemoe” 
“Love never ends, but pride is when your hopes are fulfilled”

LALELEI is quintessential LEAO; combining yearnful lyricism alongside the brilliant instrumentation. At its heart, this single is a love letter and a dedication to ‘aiga ma atunu’u’ (family and homeland). The song stories a love held strong for a home long missed, capturing themes of distance, yearning and insurmountable commitment to the fa’asamoa. With this single’s sonic palette bringing together classic Samoan garage with new-age production, LEAO continue their dedication to synthesising Pacific nostalgia with the modern age.

“The intent behind LALELEI initially was to write something closer to older classic Samoan pop songs” David contemplates. “A lot of old Samoan classics from the late-70’s and throughout the 80’s took inspiration from American popular music of the time such as soft rock, funk, soul and R&B, thus compositionally we had a strong idea of what to reference sonically. Lyrically, there’s nothing more iconic in Samoan songwriting than writing a song dedicated to Samoa. LALELEI is a tribute to Samoa and to all the Samoan bands that contributed to what we know Samoan pop music today.”

LEAO’s love for the Pacific musical reference is unending with LALELEI being yet another manifestation of their Pacific pride and hope. “I’m proud to be Samoan and the fa’asamoa (the Samoan Way) deeply lenses how I see and interact with the world. However, it’s been so long since I’ve been back to Samoa and it’s not lost on me that my conceptualisation of Samoa as someone in the diaspora, is unique to how Samoans in Samoa imagine Samoa and themselves. That said, I think it’s what makes a project like LEAO so meaningful, in both it’s intention and makeup, because the conversation about Samoaness and the fa’asamoa is invigorated and opened, rather than existing as a monolith. My own fa’asamoa involves honouring Te Tiriti; it involves uplifting other cultures & peoples that aren’t Samoan. For at the heart of the fa’asamoa is the value of alofa (love) and tautua (service); and my duty is to uphold that.”

As LALELEI is released, LEAO heads to the UK and Europe, performing at the Great Escape Festival and supporting Tinariwen. Reflecting on the moment, David says, “Having LALELEI be finished and ready to be shared feels fulfilling, special and exciting. It feels like the next stepping stone in our journey as a group, during a time where we feel very inspired and comfortable in our practice. Each LEAO song we’ve released thus far always feels like yet another contribution to the tapestry that is Samoan music and we feel very honoured to be able to contribute as such.”

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