Speaker 1: It's the flavor podcast network.
Speaker 2: Island Roots Auckland Ways.
Speaker 3: This one's for the Brown brothers and sisters who want
Speaker 3: to be one with themselves, their culture, their identity, their roots.
Speaker 2: This is Island Roots Auckland Ways.
Speaker 1: Boom boom shake, shake the room. Boom boom shake, shake
Speaker 1: the room. Boom boom, shake shake the room. Tick tick
Speaker 1: tick tick boom, Island Roots Auckland Ways. This is probably
Speaker 1: our biggest episode ever.
Speaker 2: This is our oh are you kidding me?
Speaker 4: Like, but also not just like in terms of like
Speaker 4: the guest, just in terms of what she means to
Speaker 4: us and our friendship.
Speaker 2: Yes, this is next level.
Speaker 1: This is the creme de la creme, Honey, Dinah Jane.
Speaker 1: So we don't want to hold you up here as
Speaker 1: the podcast right now and joylessly.
Speaker 4: Welcome back everyone to another episode of Island Roots Auckland Ways.
Speaker 2: Today.
Speaker 4: It is an absolute honor to welcome an absolute princess,
Speaker 4: Queen Queen, the dream guest of all dream guests.
Speaker 1: When we tell you, no, no.
Speaker 4: No, it's Dinah Jane.
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, I love you, guys.
Speaker 4: We love you. We have no idea, well, I mean
Speaker 4: you do have an idea because off the mic we
Speaker 4: were talking about how obsessed we are with you and
Speaker 4: how great we think you are and how talented we
Speaker 4: think you are, and also how you are like the
Speaker 4: third best friend in this friendship. So it's so exciting
Speaker 4: that you could make the time.
Speaker 1: To be here with us.
Speaker 4: We are just we're like so jazzed right now, on
Speaker 4: top of the world.
Speaker 1: We are over the moon. Dinah, how are you going, sister.
Speaker 3: I'm feeling amazing, so good. I'm doing thisus. Thank you
Speaker 3: so much for having me. I wish we were in
Speaker 3: person for this because it's like do for me to
Speaker 3: be a new zeale and fine now, but again, thank
Speaker 3: you so much for having me. It's such an honor
Speaker 3: to be on here with you guys and discuss some
Speaker 3: fun topics.
Speaker 1: He yo for the culture, for the coature. Cissy and
Speaker 1: you are over do a trip on New Zealand. And
Speaker 1: when you come here, girl, let's take you out. Let's
Speaker 1: get an airbnb, let's get busy.
Speaker 3: One's a good time to come to New Zealand, Like
Speaker 3: one's a good season, like time of the month.
Speaker 4: Summer for sure, which is like winter your time. So
Speaker 4: I feel like that's nice.
Speaker 1: Around Christmas, New Year's this was probably a really good
Speaker 1: time to come not noted.
Speaker 2: I will keep that in my notes for the end
Speaker 2: of this year.
Speaker 1: Yes, okay, okay, Oh my gosh, you're I am fan
Speaker 1: girling right now when I tell you my palms are
Speaker 1: sweaty like I'm imm and there right now. Don't play
Speaker 1: with me son for so long. Oh, alyssa' is having
Speaker 1: a heart attach any Every episode we sre what we
Speaker 1: love about home, So where you currently live, where you
Speaker 1: were born, where you feel most grounded, What is home
Speaker 1: to you? And what do you love about it? Dinah,
Speaker 1: Alissa and I will start off first, and Alyssa, what
Speaker 1: do you love about home this week? Girl?
Speaker 4: Well, I am not tonguan, but what I love about
Speaker 4: home this week is red, white and brass. There was
Speaker 4: recently a it was a theater production remake of The
Speaker 4: Incredible Movie with our friend JP for Yaki rises role.
Speaker 4: And it was just so good and like that straight
Speaker 4: my funa, that tongue in energy, it's just different and
Speaker 4: it just I don't know, I was like fire out,
Speaker 4: I like you, wish I was tongue right now?
Speaker 1: Oh you sure where she were tongue? And huh oh
Speaker 1: sure you're friends with JP and Dinah your friends with
Speaker 1: JP for Yaki, aren't you girl?
Speaker 3: Yeah, She's such a sweetheart and I'm so so proud
Speaker 3: of him and everything that he's accomplished and putting our
Speaker 3: tongue of people on such a map in honor platform
Speaker 3: with what he's pushing. So congratulations to him. New Zealand's
Speaker 3: Finest JP teaser.
Speaker 1: Tees Gay Tuesday six seven six Baby, Okay, listen, thank
Speaker 1: you so much for sharing what you love about home
Speaker 1: this week. I love wearing asay and my hair. Okay, girl,
Speaker 1: I love a cute flower in the hair. Sometimes it
Speaker 1: just brings about that island flair. And whenever you're going whereever,
Speaker 1: you're going well for me, whenever I'm going to a
Speaker 1: predominantly by Langy event, and I just want to create
Speaker 1: a little subtlety that reminds every one of where I
Speaker 1: come from and who I represent. Check us a in
Speaker 1: the air and then you're done, and then you're done.
Speaker 1: Ski's girl with anything, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2: That's so true.
Speaker 3: Actually, I've been collecting a lot of says recently. I
Speaker 3: love that you said that. I just came back from
Speaker 3: Hawaii not too long ago, and I wore say like
Speaker 3: almost everywhere I went, and I was just like, Wow,
Speaker 3: this just feels like you don't have to say much.
Speaker 2: It's just people already know like an island girls.
Speaker 3: So that little signature we got to us is something
Speaker 3: really special.
Speaker 1: Hey Dinah that one. What do you love about Home
Speaker 1: this week?
Speaker 2: What I love about Home this week?
Speaker 3: Well, like I said, I've been traveling a lot lately,
Speaker 3: and what home is to me is Island music. Like
Speaker 3: no wherever I no matter where I travel to throwing
Speaker 3: on a little bit of Fiji and Jaybug Common Kings
Speaker 3: here and there.
Speaker 2: It feels like I'm carrying a piece.
Speaker 3: Of Home with me everywhere I go, and that it
Speaker 3: keeps me grounded and humble. The type of music I
Speaker 3: listen to wherever, whatever room I'm stepping into too as well,
Speaker 3: no matter who's in the room, I feel like that
Speaker 3: little reminder that music helps me remember who who I
Speaker 3: represent and where I come from.
Speaker 2: I love that so much.
Speaker 4: I am a fellow Island music girly, so I've got
Speaker 4: it going whenever possible, And I agree, there's just something
Speaker 4: about it that's just like so grounding.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you could go far and wide with it,
Speaker 1: like Spawn, Breezy, Sammy j Redna Edies Girl Literit. Oh
Speaker 1: you mentioned Fiji. There, he is the king, I disputed
Speaker 1: king of Polynesian music, don't you think?
Speaker 2: Amen?
Speaker 3: Yes, Yeah, I feel like he's the reason why we
Speaker 3: kind of branched out and have started this movement to
Speaker 3: begin with. So props for the king himself, for Fiji.
Speaker 3: Thank you Fiji for everything that you do and everything
Speaker 3: that you represent. Yeah, I love Fiji. You can never
Speaker 3: go wrong with a little bit of anything you want.
Speaker 1: Why you.
Speaker 2: Warrior of Love?
Speaker 1: Hey girl, Hey girl? Yeah, Goveolwauki, Oh my god.
Speaker 4: But honestly, Dinah, I feel the same way about your music,
Speaker 4: especially Ocean Song, And I would love if we could
Speaker 4: talk a little bit about Ocean Song, because I know
Speaker 4: you've described it as like a call to your ancis
Speaker 4: and there's something about it to me that is so grounding,
Speaker 4: this like sense of like pacificness and like strength and
Speaker 4: our identity that I can't really describe, but I feel
Speaker 4: like you'll get it, and like you can see it
Speaker 4: in the visuals girl, in the music video, it's just
Speaker 4: so us. What has been what has it been like
Speaker 4: for you to see it? Resonate with so many Pacifica
Speaker 4: girls and women out there, because I feel like all
Speaker 4: over TikTok, I'm seeing the girls jamming ocean song and
Speaker 4: there's something about it I don't know, that's like my
Speaker 4: funner to me, like, oh my gosh. Yeah, it just
Speaker 4: fills me with so much pride every time I listen
Speaker 4: to it.
Speaker 1: What's it?
Speaker 4: What's it been like to see it? Reasoning?
Speaker 3: This song has taken such a journey, like I created
Speaker 3: a song first of all, like four years ago in Bali,
Speaker 3: and it started off as a love song, and then
Speaker 3: you know, throughout the years, losing loved ones and then
Speaker 3: still being attached to this song, I felt like I
Speaker 3: was fighting for something that had some type of representation
Speaker 3: through my music. I've done all the fun stuff I've done,
Speaker 3: like Bob, I've ben't heard it all before talking about
Speaker 3: all my lovey dove songs, but I just felt like
Speaker 3: something was missing, and to kick off this journey with
Speaker 3: new music and new era, I think transforming this love
Speaker 3: song into an ancestral prayer was so important to me.
Speaker 3: Losing my loved ones, my grandparents that are in the
Speaker 3: music video, which is my grandpa Almoni and my Grandma.
Speaker 2: Jane, my Grandma Sanie. They have been my prayer warriors.
Speaker 3: So to dedicate something to them, I felt like I
Speaker 3: could create a prayer for many other Pacific Island girls
Speaker 3: who feel who could feel some type of connection to
Speaker 3: it of losing a loved one and knowing how hard,
Speaker 3: how hard of a prayer war they can be for us,
Speaker 3: that we can be one back to them in a sense.
Speaker 2: So visually this also took such a toll. I was
Speaker 2: like I was fighting for it, and I was like, please,
Speaker 2: I need my thoughts.
Speaker 3: I need a tho Lula in the beginning, I need
Speaker 3: like the evolution of a little girl, tonguing girl going
Speaker 3: into a womanhood and then representing all these women all
Speaker 3: in white was so important to me also as well,
Speaker 3: to symbolize the purity of our women, our Polynesian women,
Speaker 3: and how in our culture we value the women in
Speaker 3: our culture, especially being tongue in. I know the type
Speaker 3: of I know the type of responsibility I have as
Speaker 3: being the oldest daughter and then also holding the title
Speaker 3: of a future bahu. So that and then having tying
Speaker 3: in my family into it was so heartwarming and touching
Speaker 3: to me that my creative director of the music video
Speaker 3: wanted to go that direction.
Speaker 2: A part of me didn't want to. I was like,
Speaker 2: oh no.
Speaker 3: These kids, like they're a little too much, and I
Speaker 3: we want you to like show your family, show where
Speaker 3: you really come from, how they act, and I didn't
Speaker 3: want them to see the true like sister slash Auntie,
Speaker 3: I am with my cousins and my little siblings.
Speaker 2: But then I was like, you know what.
Speaker 3: This is the era of where you just have to
Speaker 3: be authentically yourself and not be ashamed or afraid.
Speaker 2: To show how you carry yourself at it within your home.
Speaker 3: So thank you to my team for pushing me to
Speaker 3: open up a little bit more, stripping back each layer
Speaker 3: of just opening up of where.
Speaker 2: I come from and how I was raised.
Speaker 3: I was born and raised here in Orange County, California,
Speaker 3: and there's a big Polynesian community down here. And thank
Speaker 3: you to Fiana Lufau, who is the woman that you
Speaker 3: call to help creatively with movies such as Maana. So
Speaker 3: thank you to her for being a part of the production,
Speaker 3: being a part of the choreography, helping me just open
Speaker 3: up more and be like you said, Mafana with the
Speaker 3: creative process. And I was like I really felt like
Speaker 3: I was able to share a piece of home with
Speaker 3: the world. And the fact that it resonates with so
Speaker 3: many people and so many women and little girls really
Speaker 3: made me cry a few times because I've seen some
Speaker 3: reaction videos and being in Hawaii and traveling lately, I've
Speaker 3: been getting so many compliments and that's the first song
Speaker 3: they tell me.
Speaker 2: Usually girls come up to me, your people tell.
Speaker 3: Me, oh, I lover song, bought it up, but lately
Speaker 3: it's been it's been Ocean Song. So for them to
Speaker 3: say that really touched my heart, and I was like,
Speaker 3: you know what, this is the point. This is the
Speaker 3: reason why we do this. And for me, it's not
Speaker 3: about you know, the numbers, It's not about you know,
Speaker 3: people are telling me, we're pulling me to other directions,
Speaker 3: like you need to go for things that are popular
Speaker 3: right now, and you can use so much to your
Speaker 3: voice and you could do so many other things.
Speaker 2: Why are you going this direction?
Speaker 3: There's a movement here, and why not use my platform
Speaker 3: for the younger the next generation, And this is my
Speaker 3: gift to them and to let them know like you
Speaker 3: can dream big and keep dreaming, but stay humble and
Speaker 3: keep your feet grounded no matter where you go, because
Speaker 3: you can go further with your village. If you have
Speaker 3: that grounded mentality and that home mafauna energy, you can
Speaker 3: you can do so much more with that. So this
Speaker 3: is again my gift to everyone, and thank you to
Speaker 3: everyone for vibing out to my song, Ocean Song. It
Speaker 3: means every thing to me, and I'm glad you guys
Speaker 3: are loving the visuals. It was a lost fight for it.
Speaker 4: It's your gift for us, like truly, and you're so right,
Speaker 4: like no point, like Ocean Song has become this whole
Speaker 4: thing of its own, and at no point have you
Speaker 4: felt like you've had to sacrifice your tongue in this,
Speaker 4: you know, like there, it's so tongue in, it's so pacific,
Speaker 4: it's so entrenched, and like.
Speaker 2: I'm so glad to hear that you say that.
Speaker 3: I think I've also heard like an identity crisis without
Speaker 3: within my career, a lot of people have been telling
Speaker 3: me like, oh, why don't you go this route and
Speaker 3: this route? You look, you look African America, you look Mexican.
Speaker 3: Why don't you just go there? I just felt like
Speaker 3: that's not true to who I am, and why not
Speaker 3: stay authentically to myself. So saying it out loud and
Speaker 3: bringing it to the forefront of being an island girl,
Speaker 3: I want them to know, like, without even saying it,
Speaker 3: this is why I'm I'm tongue in island girl and
Speaker 3: I represent all of the South Pacific. So it's such
Speaker 3: a treat for myself to even do this, you know.
Speaker 3: So for me to finally claim it out loud was
Speaker 3: like something I've been crying for, yeah, when I'm alone.
Speaker 2: So yeah, finally I can just be myself. Is what
Speaker 2: this era feels like?
Speaker 1: Oh that's so special. Hey, Dinah, how long has this
Speaker 1: era been coming? Have you been sitting on this for
Speaker 1: a while, these feelings of wanting to embrace your identity
Speaker 1: as a tongue and as a proud Basufka woman, Because yeah,
Speaker 1: I assume that people would have from your many many
Speaker 1: years in the music industry would have assumed that Dinah
Speaker 1: Jane would have gone through this path and she was
Speaker 1: singing with these singers, so she's going to sing this
Speaker 1: type of music for the rest of her career. We
Speaker 1: can see now that you've kind of established yourself as
Speaker 1: a proud Basyfica singer, singing like how ancestors did. Was
Speaker 1: this a hard decision to make to embark on this
Speaker 1: new heiressis it was?
Speaker 3: I've been itching to like go this for out and
Speaker 3: it's just only because it was just for myself, Like
Speaker 3: I just felt like the little girl and me like
Speaker 3: wanting to wanting that type of representation. I didn't really
Speaker 3: have much besides Aradna the queen herself and so being
Speaker 3: a brown skin queen an Island girl.
Speaker 2: I was like, what else can I do?
Speaker 3: There's so much more I know I can do without
Speaker 3: just being your typical like you know, American pop star.
Speaker 2: And for me to be in this in this.
Speaker 3: Type of space now, I'm grateful for my team for
Speaker 3: amplifying this idea into my mind of like just being
Speaker 3: authentically yourself and so going this direction with the music,
Speaker 3: It's there's so many music.
Speaker 2: There's so much songs.
Speaker 3: In my catalog that I have not yet to share,
Speaker 3: but they have been resurfacing and it's just a whole
Speaker 3: representation myself and I just want the music to just
Speaker 3: tell you what it is and show you make you
Speaker 3: feel exactly what type of direction I'm going and who
Speaker 3: I've always been.
Speaker 1: So I love it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you mentioned a bottle up before and I bottled
Speaker 4: apps sorry, And I like when I was coming up
Speaker 4: with what we could talk about in this episode, I
Speaker 4: was thinking back to the start of your solo career
Speaker 4: and songs like Bottled Up. It seems so, I mean,
Speaker 4: it's not drastically different, but it does seem quite different
Speaker 4: to the new music that you're making now, like Ocean Song,
Speaker 4: falling in Love with Ja King, and then Road Least Traveled,
Speaker 4: which is about to be released.
Speaker 2: What does become becoming Up?
Speaker 3: It will be coming out for you guys a day
Speaker 3: early then over here, So I hope you guys like
Speaker 3: that one of my babies.
Speaker 4: Yeah, what does this No, No, you're fine, You're fine.
Speaker 2: What does this new era of music?
Speaker 4: You've kind of touched on it before, but what does
Speaker 4: it really represent to you?
Speaker 2: I think it's just representing everything that I've listened to,
Speaker 2: like everything that I've endured.
Speaker 3: I'm a lover girl, and I feel like I'm just
Speaker 3: writing out I'm writing out music that comes from like
Speaker 3: my journal. So this song really speaks about a time
Speaker 3: where I really was in love and it's at this
Speaker 3: certain time a point my life, not right now, but
Speaker 3: at the time I was such so in love that
Speaker 3: I was willing to go the road that's traveled with
Speaker 3: this guy who lived overseas and whatnot. And so yeah,
Speaker 3: I just feel like with this new era of music,
Speaker 3: I'm just peeling a layer as I go with each
Speaker 3: song that I'm releasing. Doing a song with Jay King
Speaker 3: with Falling in Love was so special for me as well.
Speaker 3: For him to even reach out and be like, hey, sis,
Speaker 3: I want to do a song with me. I have
Speaker 3: a song coming out was really special to me. And
Speaker 3: then Falling in Love kind of also like kicked it
Speaker 3: up even more for me, which, by the way, we
Speaker 3: have a.
Speaker 2: Record coming out as well, another one.
Speaker 3: Part two one. But yeah, everything is just me storytelling.
Speaker 3: All these songs mean something very special to me and
Speaker 3: I can't wait to like unfold it more as we go.
Speaker 2: And and EP is on the way.
Speaker 1: So so you are giving us all the equal D
Speaker 1: right now.
Speaker 4: And I was literally going to say road leys traveled
Speaker 4: from the snippets I've heard, it's just such a fun
Speaker 4: summer love a girl box. So the fact that we're
Speaker 4: all love girls on this core right now feels feels
Speaker 4: feels right. But can you take us to like I love,
Speaker 4: I love, I love love, and they love.
Speaker 2: And when they're out loud with their love their lover.
Speaker 3: But you know, sometimes to be tricky too because you
Speaker 3: don't want to be posting them and then they like fumble,
Speaker 3: god dang it.
Speaker 2: But you know what, that's part of the journey, that's
Speaker 2: part of the story.
Speaker 3: Like whatever l' do you take or whatever real love
Speaker 3: you're you're embracing, like at least live in it and
Speaker 3: thriving it type of thing.
Speaker 2: Why do I sound like a therapist?
Speaker 1: No, I just.
Speaker 4: Got out of a situation with a tongue in man
Speaker 4: and he's broken my heart essentially, so I'm currently on the.
Speaker 2: I'm so sorry.
Speaker 1: There's no way he's related to girl. You uh you uh?
Speaker 1: Tem This man was a one. I don't know why.
Speaker 2: Red flag? What was the red flag?
Speaker 4: What was Oh my god, there was so many. There
Speaker 4: was so many that I just you know, when you're
Speaker 4: just in the haze. I was like, we can work
Speaker 4: on that later, don't worry about it. And then now
Speaker 4: I'm like, wow, I really shouldn't have ignored those things
Speaker 4: because I wouldn't be sitting here upset it.
Speaker 2: You know better, you know exactly?
Speaker 3: I feel like sometimes certain people come into your life
Speaker 3: to give you that type of They give you a
Speaker 3: lesson and then you've learned it, because if you haven't
Speaker 3: learned it, the universe is gonna hit you back and
Speaker 3: be like, oh well, here's another lesson. Yeah, and they're
Speaker 3: gonna place another man in your lap and be like,
Speaker 3: oh no, you know so. I think as long as
Speaker 3: you acknowledge those things, you'll be able to move forward
Speaker 3: and notice those traits and be like, this is meant
Speaker 3: for me, this is what not meant for me, and
Speaker 3: that's what I'm entertaining.
Speaker 2: This is not what I'm entertaining.
Speaker 4: Bank Sister Love advice from the Queen right now.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, I think Diana j needs to host
Speaker 1: Love Island Maya Jama. You need to maybe vacate the
Speaker 1: premises real quick. Let out girl, Dina come in some
Speaker 1: sort of Wow you don't want to get the rose.
Speaker 1: Oh no, someone needs to sign Dina girl.
Speaker 4: We need we need a pacifica quisachel please that would
Speaker 4: be Icona.
Speaker 2: I would be too shy, Okay, I'll do yeah the topic.
Speaker 1: Maybe she can go on the Bachelorette after Roadless Travel
Speaker 1: is released. So make sure you keep your eye on
Speaker 1: that love that.
Speaker 2: New Zealand host one. I would love to be on it.
Speaker 1: There.
Speaker 2: You guys got some cuties you Rick and girl. I
Speaker 2: think so well, at least I think, Oh.
Speaker 1: I don't know, I feel like where you are at. No,
Speaker 1: that's with a man, that's all another.
Speaker 2: I don't know if like the American streets.
Speaker 1: But oh yes, I'm like a I love my.
Speaker 2: Island boys like I'm a big boys. Yeah mm hmm, but.
Speaker 4: Please can we I want to keep ching about road
Speaker 4: they traveled? What was this song writing process?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 4: Who are you riding it with? Who was producing? And
Speaker 4: then girl, was there someone? Obviously you said there was
Speaker 4: someone in mine when you were writing the song. But
Speaker 4: I'm I'm assuming that he's not in the picture anymore.
Speaker 3: I always had a picture, no more, like I can't remember.
Speaker 3: Some people come into your life for a certain reason.
Speaker 4: He was here to particular listen and then now.
Speaker 1: He's on his merry way. He was here to make
Speaker 1: you a bad girls.
Speaker 2: That hard.
Speaker 3: No, but the song played a really big part in
Speaker 3: my life in like around twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen, And
Speaker 3: you know, like that talking pace when you're with someone
Speaker 3: and super work on that honeymoon phase, and being that
Speaker 3: he lived overseas, like oceans away, taking the road let's travel,
Speaker 3: meaning aka something that's uner of like, which like not
Speaker 3: a lot of people do dating someone from overseas, the
Speaker 3: fact that he was able to like always fly out
Speaker 3: to me and like always host me. He's like in
Speaker 3: my city and he's like, I'll take care of you.
Speaker 3: Let's go do this, Let's go do that. I was
Speaker 3: like on cloud nine and I was like, wow, this
Speaker 3: is really sweet. I really thought like this was the
Speaker 3: one type of thing. But you know, like when you're
Speaker 3: in love with someone, that's how you know, like Okay,
Speaker 3: it sparked some type of inspirations, so he kind of
Speaker 3: inspired this song, this lover Girls song. And in the
Speaker 3: second verse, I say something like he sent me flowers
Speaker 3: on the weekday when I don't even need them, Pretend
Speaker 3: like I don't see them.
Speaker 1: No.
Speaker 3: I say that because I was like playing hard to
Speaker 3: get but then not really and I'm not really a
Speaker 3: flowers type of girl. But he kept sending flowers to me,
Speaker 3: and I think that's probably like made him excited that
Speaker 3: I wasn't excited about flowers.
Speaker 2: I don't know. And like I said this song.
Speaker 3: I'm personalizing it a lot, and the fact that he
Speaker 3: was willing to put an even more effort like trying
Speaker 3: to win my love meant a lot to me. So
Speaker 3: if you got a lover out there and he's willing
Speaker 3: to go to the road, let's travel with you here,
Speaker 3: keep her okay.
Speaker 1: Advice because some of them, may I be seeing, girl,
Speaker 1: they be taking the road that everyone travels on, just
Speaker 1: like all these are the red flags. Girl.
Speaker 4: But speaking of red flags, yes, the tongue flags.
Speaker 1: Oh yes, girl? Can you take us back.
Speaker 4: To the moment the ticket I'm so good at segways
Speaker 4: and I think you know this is.
Speaker 1: Too each question, thank you?
Speaker 4: But the mt when you did the tongue and ash anthem?
Speaker 4: How special was it to sing that in front of
Speaker 4: such a passionate crowd.
Speaker 3: And meant everything to me? Oh my gosh, I feel
Speaker 3: get chills about it. Like almost every time I anyone
Speaker 3: brings it up. I remember so vividly my grandfather who
Speaker 3: I mentioned in the music video, who's in the music video?
Speaker 2: Amoni? He like made He was like my Simon Cowell.
Speaker 3: So I was nervous before I flew out because he
Speaker 3: told me, like, hey, make sure you're you're speaking it correctly,
Speaker 3: you're singing it correctly. I thought I was gonna sing
Speaker 3: it wrong. He realized my rendition and he was like, Okay,
Speaker 3: I think you're ready to go. I get out there,
Speaker 3: and then I see like all the people just like
Speaker 3: roaring while I'm singing, and I'm like getting nervous because
Speaker 3: I'm like, okay, am I gonna land this? Because when
Speaker 3: you get to that ending of the song, you know,
Speaker 3: you just don't know how people are going to react.
Speaker 3: So it was just amazing to see people's reaction and
Speaker 3: seeing the player's reaction. I felt like I was able
Speaker 3: to represent not only my family back here in the States,
Speaker 3: but also all the people that were in that stadium
Speaker 3: and those that were out in the islands as well.
Speaker 3: It just meant everything to me that I could be
Speaker 3: something so special in that time, and I think even
Speaker 3: after that, I don't think there's been another time to.
Speaker 2: Top that game, if that makes sense.
Speaker 3: No offense to anyone else, but I feel like that
Speaker 3: was like my favorite MMT game ever, not because I
Speaker 3: performed there, but because of the passion the people had
Speaker 3: there watching them perform hymns. While I was at the game,
Speaker 3: while they're about to score. Like, that's something you don't
Speaker 3: see in everyday games. So shout out to the tonguins,
Speaker 3: drop your teas, shout out to the Red Sea. Especially
Speaker 3: out in New Zealand. That was such a fun experience.
Speaker 3: And that was the last time I was actually in
Speaker 3: New Zealand.
Speaker 2: We need to change that.
Speaker 1: We need to change that.
Speaker 3: Girl.
Speaker 1: You know, me and Alyssa, we're gonna get our coins together.
Speaker 1: We're gonna get you flued out. We're gonna put you
Speaker 1: in a hotel. Why not, let's just tell the boys
Speaker 1: play another rugby game, so el Sis can't come and
Speaker 1: sing again.
Speaker 3: Okay, yeah, another game, and I'm trying to come out
Speaker 3: and jump off that what's that called the Khalifa?
Speaker 2: Is that? Girls, it's called the bungee jumping. Do you
Speaker 2: mean the sky shower?
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, the skytower.
Speaker 2: Girl, I.
Speaker 1: Think that's the one in Dubai.
Speaker 5: Yeah, girl, you think way too jump off of Okay,
Speaker 5: but Marina just did a bundee jump off the Auckland
Speaker 5: Harbor Bridge, so we've got a pro in the midst.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Oh girl, it was forty more.
Speaker 2: We just don't tell my dad. I just don't tell
Speaker 2: my dad because my husband sucked me out of it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, your dad is going to be worrying for his princess.
Speaker 1: But we'll try to organize a little something something for
Speaker 1: when you come back to New Zealand. What's your relationship
Speaker 1: like with the culture did you? Alerded alluded to earlier
Speaker 1: that there were heaps of islanders out in Orange County
Speaker 1: where you were raised, But tell us about how life
Speaker 1: was like as a Pacific islander where you were growing
Speaker 1: up in Kelly, growing up.
Speaker 3: Here in southern California. I grew up in a very
Speaker 3: dominant Mexican Asian culture down here in Santa Anna, California.
Speaker 3: So and then also having some of my mom's best
Speaker 3: friends they were samone and then we grew up with
Speaker 3: this someone family. It's very communicative like down here, so
Speaker 3: down here in Orange County, it's been nothing but sweet
Speaker 3: and musical. I grew up in a very musical home
Speaker 3: here in Orange County. My mom plays a piano, she sings.
Speaker 3: She likes to claim that she still sings better than me,
Speaker 3: but come back to that later. My sister is singing
Speaker 3: my sister's songwriting right now. I don't know if you
Speaker 3: guys have heard of her. She just started. Her name's
Speaker 3: The Exclusive, that's her stage name right now, and I'm
Speaker 3: just so proud of her, you know, thriving into the
Speaker 3: music that she wants to do too. I have a
Speaker 3: younger sister named Regina. She is a great singer. She
Speaker 3: just might tap me. Actually that one that's gonna be
Speaker 3: my protege. And then I have siblings. I have brothers
Speaker 3: who play sports. So I went to a school down
Speaker 3: here in Orange County called the School of Arts Osha,
Speaker 3: Orange County School of Arts. I attended there for a while,
Speaker 3: and then obviously I went to X Factor or while
Speaker 3: I was in school. So I was like always trying
Speaker 3: to balance like home, family, being the oldest daughter in
Speaker 3: your home as well, and then church and music, going
Speaker 3: to the studio, and it was.
Speaker 2: Just like a whole bunch of layers.
Speaker 3: And my mom was trying to tell me, like, girl,
Speaker 3: if you want to if you really want this life,
Speaker 3: this is what comes with it. This is the hustle,
Speaker 3: this is what you have to sacrifice. And if you
Speaker 3: really believe in it and you love it, then I'm
Speaker 3: all for I will, like stop working, have dad work
Speaker 3: two jobs, and then you can go and be this artist.
Speaker 3: So very grateful for my mom and my dad for
Speaker 3: making these sacrifices for little only to be who I
Speaker 3: am today, and especially my grandmother who raised me in
Speaker 3: the church. To always remember that God is first no
Speaker 3: matter what I do, and to always think Him with
Speaker 3: everything that I do.
Speaker 1: Oh, what a blessing to have such a support of family. Sister.
Speaker 1: Just to close off out interview before we go into
Speaker 1: a little game, Dina, I just want to ask you
Speaker 1: for any little girls right now, little brown girls, let's
Speaker 1: thing and they want to take up music. What would
Speaker 1: your advice be to them? What are your geams of
Speaker 1: wisdom that you want to impart upon young Pacifica girls
Speaker 1: wanting to dream big?
Speaker 2: Do you want a dream big? Your whole heart has
Speaker 2: to be in it, Like you have to love it.
Speaker 2: You have to love singing so much that you do
Speaker 2: it in your sleep. You know.
Speaker 3: I feel like if the passion is there, you will
Speaker 3: go further in life. And to also keep your grandparents,
Speaker 3: keep your parents with you the whole ride through. Because
Speaker 3: its industry can also be a little scary. As pretty
Speaker 3: and dreamy as this life may be, you have to
Speaker 3: understand that there's a lot of sharks that do exist.
Speaker 2: And if you keep God first and your family surrounded by.
Speaker 3: You the whole way through, you will conquer anything in
Speaker 3: any room you step in. So safety first, keep your
Speaker 3: parents around you, and keep they will keep you humble.
Speaker 3: And love what you do, love music, lovel with your
Speaker 3: whole heart, and never be fifty fifty about it. Once
Speaker 3: you know fifty fifty about it, you're not really happy,
Speaker 3: then pick.
Speaker 2: A pause, Pick a pause until you're ready to come back.
Speaker 1: Well said Dinah, Oh my gosh, I think a lot
Speaker 1: of young little girls will resonate with those totally okay,
Speaker 1: So we aren't coming to the innoville and TV, which
Speaker 1: I'm so sad about. Buck. Before we go downa Jane,
Speaker 1: we are going to play a rapid fire Kim, a
Speaker 1: rapid fire game with you. So Elsa's going to leave this.
Speaker 4: So we've centered it around the road least traveled, and
Speaker 4: for us to SoCal La is the road least traveled.
Speaker 4: So we want to know your best spot's in La.
Speaker 4: If one day we decide to take the road least traveled,
Speaker 4: we'll know where to go catching my drift, Dinah, I.
Speaker 2: Get are you talking about food? Are you talking about okay?
Speaker 4: Let us give you some prompts and we'll see what
Speaker 4: rapid fire comes off the dome Oay, okay, So if
Speaker 4: you you want to take the road list, travel to La.
Speaker 4: Where are we going to get somewhere to eat? Mmm?
Speaker 2: To La? It would be.
Speaker 3: So if it's somewhere bougie, you would have to go to.
Speaker 2: Such as a c catch bogie. That's a cute spot.
Speaker 3: But if you want to be like me and a
Speaker 3: b bougie, I like to go to other spots too.
Speaker 3: I like Korean barbecue. Y, my grandma's calling. Oops, Grandma,
Speaker 3: stop calling me. But can you hears hear me? Yes,
Speaker 3: we can hear you, girl, Korean barbecue. I like to
Speaker 3: go to gens g e n s or kicking Crab.
Speaker 1: Yes. Okay, so we'll go somewhere to eat. But how
Speaker 1: about somewhere to go and eat somewhere with some dope
Speaker 1: as views? Dina, Where should we go if we want
Speaker 1: to catch a view of where you're from that's nice
Speaker 1: and beautiful and serene and pretty.
Speaker 2: I would say.
Speaker 3: There's a really beautiful scenic spot down in Laguna Be.
Speaker 3: I'll have to take you there because I don't know
Speaker 3: the streets. I just know where I'm going when I
Speaker 3: drive down there, but somewhere and we're going to beat Okay.
Speaker 4: And girl, where are we going to shop?
Speaker 2: Where are we going to shop?
Speaker 1: Yeah? Girl, what shop? We're heading up for some maybe
Speaker 1: for yeah whatever.
Speaker 3: We would have to go to South Coast Plaza because
Speaker 3: that's my local mall down here, South Coast.
Speaker 1: Okay, South Coast Plaza. Hey, guys, my name is Maths.
Speaker 1: We're going to South Coast Plaza with our girl, Dina
Speaker 1: Jane out in so Cow.
Speaker 4: Please never do that next you belong here.
Speaker 1: Yeah, girl, I live in Calabasas with the Kardashians of carl.
Speaker 4: Nor. Oh my gosh, Dina, it comes to the end
Speaker 4: of our chat. But we I mean, in case you
Speaker 4: didn't express it enough, we're obsessed with you. We love you,
Speaker 4: and we're so so so grateful that you took the
Speaker 4: time to chat with us. And we're so excited to
Speaker 4: take you around Auckland. You just seen us say, missage,
Speaker 4: when you are going to be in town, and we'll
Speaker 4: book the hotel, we'll book everything we got here.
Speaker 2: We'll come for a good time. We're here for a
Speaker 2: good time. Make memories.
Speaker 1: Yeah for having me, Dinah Jane Hanson has a special
Speaker 1: place in.
Speaker 4: Our hearts and she was so lovely and we ha
Speaker 4: one hundred senter taking around next time she's an awkward.
Speaker 1: I'm buzzing out that we actually got her no and
Speaker 1: like she loved our energy. She said it felt like
Speaker 1: she's known us through it. We made everyone to stop,
Speaker 1: but we are like, yeah then everyone at the moment,
Speaker 1: so literally you can't touch this.
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh. Okay.
Speaker 4: Videos of the chat will be up on Island Roots,
Speaker 4: awkwand Ways, on our Instagram and our TikTok Follow us,
Speaker 4: oh my gosh, bye guys,