Speaker 1: The Flavor podcast.
Speaker 2: Network 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 3: This is Island Roots Auckland Ways.
Speaker 1: Hey everyone, and welcome back to Island Roots Auckland Ways.
Speaker 1: What's up a lisser?
Speaker 3: Literally not that much?
Speaker 1: What's up with you? Mass? Yeah, same saying. But you
Speaker 1: know who's busy? Diamond Lungey.
Speaker 3: Diamond Luney is so busy girl.
Speaker 1: She is that girl the way that she is that
Speaker 1: level of busy, but comes into the studio looking as
Speaker 1: flawless as she did.
Speaker 3: No, she looked amazing. Can't wait for you guys see
Speaker 3: the social clips because she looks timming.
Speaker 1: Yeah, laid face, beat dress, body giving.
Speaker 3: Oh body is tea girl.
Speaker 1: And she has her debut single, keep You Here Out Now.
Speaker 1: It's such a meaningful track. It talks about the relationship
Speaker 1: with her and her late father, who she actually learns
Speaker 1: a lot of what she knows about music from.
Speaker 3: Yeah, such a special chat. It was awesome to see
Speaker 3: her talk about her dad and talk about her creativity
Speaker 3: as well. So we won't hold you back any longer.
Speaker 3: Here's our chet with Diamond Lungny. Welcome back to another
Speaker 3: episode of Island Roots Awkland Ways Today it also hapens
Speaker 3: your Tongue and Language Week. This won't be released during
Speaker 3: Tongue and Language Week, but feels apt that this queen
Speaker 3: is here today. Let's hear it for the one, the only,
Speaker 3: the multi hyphen it.
Speaker 1: Diamond Lungy Dylond Welcome to Island Roots Talkland Way Guys.
Speaker 2: I'm so happy to be here.
Speaker 4: Yeah, oh girl, as of time of recording, you were
Speaker 4: just here. It sounds like you never left. Did you
Speaker 4: sleep downstairs?
Speaker 2: It just around the corner.
Speaker 1: Diamond, thank you so much for coming in back into
Speaker 1: the studio. As always, we like to share what we
Speaker 1: love about home. So whatever home is to you, whether
Speaker 1: you live, where you live or where you were raised,
Speaker 1: where you were born, or where you go off to
Speaker 1: to feel like home, what is it and what do
Speaker 1: you love about it? We'll start off first. What I
Speaker 1: love about home this week is the food. Girl. I
Speaker 1: I just like eating, so that pantry at home is
Speaker 1: always stocked with my snacks and trust I will be there.
Speaker 1: I still believe I will be there.
Speaker 2: Love that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we love the kitchen at mine. We love the
Speaker 1: kitchen at yours. Actually, actually, anywhere I go, I be eating.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Period.
Speaker 1: I was at Alissa's house. We were eating.
Speaker 3: We were actually, yes, we were period.
Speaker 1: And I don't do the cooking.
Speaker 2: Yeah you did it.
Speaker 3: We made our mom cook. From my mom sorry to like,
Speaker 3: she's your mountain.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: She basically is what I love about home this week.
Speaker 3: I don't know how to explain it, but I'm so
Speaker 3: I come from a lineage of like such cool people,
Speaker 3: Like my mum is so epic. So I feel like
Speaker 3: what I love about home this week is my mom,
Speaker 3: but then also all the people who've come before her,
Speaker 3: all the people who have come before my dad. Just
Speaker 3: thinking this week, I've been reflecting a lot on my
Speaker 3: ancestors and how epoch the people are in my family,
Speaker 3: and so what I love about home is family connections. Yeah,
Speaker 3: it was really. I got to hang out with my
Speaker 3: mom and my godmother the other day. We had like
Speaker 3: a little girl's night out together, and I was just
Speaker 3: looking at them both and just thinking, I hope, I'm
Speaker 3: like that's cool when I'm old. I hope that I'm
Speaker 3: still hanging out with my friends. I hope that we're
Speaker 3: still talking about those times like twenty years ago, we
Speaker 3: were back out in South Aukland and la la lah.
Speaker 3: But yeah, I think that's what I love about home
Speaker 3: this week. What about you, girl?
Speaker 2: That's beautiful. What I love about home is the opportunity
Speaker 2: to just come back into your safe space and rest.
Speaker 2: I'm a sleepy girl, like I love sleeping.
Speaker 3: We love to sleep.
Speaker 2: Oh you know, like on my days off, Like it's
Speaker 2: so funny, I go into this little shell, like I
Speaker 2: call myself a little snail, and I just like take
Speaker 2: that time and opportunity to rest up, take care of
Speaker 2: my well being. And so when I come out of
Speaker 2: that show, I'm like, hello, birl.
Speaker 1: Is so important. I love sleeping. I love a good nap.
Speaker 3: Yeah, who doesn't.
Speaker 1: Speaking of naps, how long are your guys nips? Because
Speaker 1: I feel like, oh I'm on the elder when.
Speaker 3: It comes to naps I have. I feel like I
Speaker 3: can't nap for longer than an hour?
Speaker 1: No you can't, Yeah, I can't.
Speaker 3: I also find it very hard to nap, like I'll
Speaker 3: rot and beard. But I'm billy sleeping. Oh yeah, but
Speaker 3: the most recent nap I had was about an hour.
Speaker 1: How about you, Diamond, how long are your naps.
Speaker 2: I just like, I feel like I remember taking a
Speaker 2: nap and it was like six hours sleep. When I
Speaker 2: say I'm I'm a sleepy girl, Like, sometimes my family
Speaker 2: get worried. I still.
Speaker 3: That's kind of a dream though. I would love to
Speaker 3: be under net for that long. Can you just like
Speaker 3: close your eyes and sleep?
Speaker 2: I can literally sleep anywhere, like as long as I'm warm.
Speaker 2: I'm just like, I just make myself.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 4: I was going to say, like a cute three hours.
Speaker 4: Oh okay, three hours is too long for you though,
Speaker 4: way yeah, see, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3: And I was going to say, now, I'm gonna say
Speaker 3: it anyway, you don't really like talking to people and
Speaker 3: they're like, yeah, I'm just going to go for a nap,
Speaker 3: And then you're like, are you like ghosting me right now?
Speaker 4: Do you know?
Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah, are you using the as an excuse yeah
Speaker 1: to talk to me?
Speaker 3: But then usually they actually are nepping. Yeah, anyway, what's
Speaker 3: going on?
Speaker 2: How long are your naps?
Speaker 1: Like three hours max? Three to four hours? And also
Speaker 1: I can nap anytime of the day. I love napping
Speaker 1: near nighttime, which is so bad because that's like a
Speaker 1: sleep page. Yeah, but I just can't have like a
Speaker 1: midday nap like it has to be after lunch. After
Speaker 1: lunch is to be a kid. After you have a
Speaker 1: full belly, get yourself into bed, you're feeling warm, and
Speaker 1: then you got to sleep for a cute three or
Speaker 1: four hours. Mind, you had did that yesterday and it
Speaker 1: was very hard for me to actually sleep at night.
Speaker 1: But I did that to myself. That sucks hours. You go, girls,
Speaker 1: we've got sleeping beauty in Oh well, that is what
Speaker 1: we love about.
Speaker 3: Okay, girl, let's talk about living in Auckland. So your
Speaker 3: tongue in born in New Zealand but raised in the US.
Speaker 3: How do they compare?
Speaker 1: Hmmm?
Speaker 2: I would say it's hard to compare the two, yeah,
Speaker 2: because you know they're both different in their beautiful ways.
Speaker 2: But what I loved about coming back to New Zealand
Speaker 2: was you can just go to South Side and then
Speaker 2: you feel connected. You see all our people around. You
Speaker 2: know where I was living at Salt Laic City, Utah.
Speaker 2: You still see our people, but it's with special events
Speaker 2: like if there's like a Pacific a festival or a
Speaker 2: reggae concert, that's when you see everyone come together. So
Speaker 2: coming to New Zealand and just we can just take
Speaker 2: a drive and be connected. I love that, like and
Speaker 2: I got so excited. I got tiri when I went
Speaker 2: when I first came back and I went out South,
Speaker 2: I was like, I love this. It came like a
Speaker 2: long time ago. So yeah, it's so beautiful. And of course,
Speaker 2: like the food is different, you know, like the people
Speaker 2: is different as well too, in terms of like the
Speaker 2: African American community, the Hispanics, it's you know, coming here,
Speaker 2: you'll see a few, but it's not as much as
Speaker 2: in America. Yeah, and of course comparing like the Pacific
Speaker 2: Islanders in America, we have so many, you know, and
Speaker 2: where there it's it's like quite rare to find like
Speaker 2: certain different groups. So yeah, they have their own different
Speaker 2: beauties and their own unique ways. Yeah.
Speaker 3: What prompt did that move back to New Zealand Because
Speaker 3: you see it off Mike, you moved back when you
Speaker 3: were like s even team.
Speaker 2: Yes, Yeah, so back because my grandfather got sick and
Speaker 2: my mom wanted to be close to her dad and
Speaker 2: was like, yeah, why not. I mean they said why not?
Speaker 2: But you know at that time, like I.
Speaker 1: Know, because you would have been a teenager, then you're
Speaker 1: leaving your life behind. Did that freak? You out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was so sad because, like, your senior year
Speaker 2: in high school is.
Speaker 1: Huge usually America.
Speaker 3: Yeah, my reference to that is like high school, which
Speaker 3: is like huge, such a beautiful movie, but it's like
Speaker 3: such a big event, like it's not important.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, like you know, we're planning like the graduations, like
Speaker 2: dances and everything. And then when my mom broke the
Speaker 2: news to me, I was sad, But then, you know,
Speaker 2: I wanted to be there from my mom, you know,
Speaker 2: like having a father that's sick or in any like
Speaker 2: parent that's sick, that would have been really hard for her.
Speaker 2: So coming back the transition and moving like I started
Speaker 2: high school was so difficult.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but then I'm so thankful we did make that move. Yeah,
Speaker 2: a blessing in disguise.
Speaker 1: Tell us about those early stages in New Zealand. Was
Speaker 1: it an adjustment to the culture and the society here
Speaker 1: as opposed to you know, living most of your life
Speaker 1: in Salt Lake City.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, Like enrolling back into high school here, like I
Speaker 2: was not used to wearing a uniform, you know, we
Speaker 2: couldn't wear certain things I was not used to, like
Speaker 2: not wearing nail polish and ear rings, and we just
Speaker 2: had to wear what we were told to wear and
Speaker 2: follow the lines. So I went from like being a
Speaker 2: good girl in high school in America to coming back
Speaker 2: and like into New Zealand. I was like always in
Speaker 2: the detention I was wearing something wrong. They're like, you're
Speaker 2: wearing their polish, your hair is wrong, or like.
Speaker 1: You know, so strict about that stuff here, so strict,
Speaker 1: especially on the girls.
Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean I went to an old girls Catholic
Speaker 3: school and it was like it needs to be this length,
Speaker 3: no jewelry, you can only wear this kind of Nicholas.
Speaker 3: If you are going to wear a Nicholas, like you
Speaker 3: have to put your hair up this way. So strict.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I remember at primary school they were so strict
Speaker 1: about the color of the hair tis Oh wow, yeah,
Speaker 1: so black or maroon or navy, Like how does that
Speaker 1: even relate to that you're doing in that classroom? Oh
Speaker 1: my gosh, oh wow. But now you've been here for
Speaker 1: so many years, do you see yourself going back to America.
Speaker 2: I don't want to say no, because I don't know
Speaker 2: what the future holds. But I love New Zealand so much,
Speaker 2: and you know, when the time comes and I become
Speaker 2: a mother, I'll love to raise my children here because
Speaker 2: I feel like there's just so much culture and I
Speaker 2: want them to be surrounded by our people and learn,
Speaker 2: you know, like we're so thankful to have people like
Speaker 2: you and listen and Maz who know, like my kids
Speaker 2: might want to come up and they want to do radio.
Speaker 2: They have people like you guys to look up to,
Speaker 2: and I want them to see representatives. So yeah, I
Speaker 2: don't know yet, so but at the time being, I
Speaker 2: just I want to be based here in New Zealand.
Speaker 2: It's lovely, beautiful love.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you have your beautiful new at your new song,
Speaker 1: keep You Here. Tell us about the writing of the song.
Speaker 1: How did keep You Here come to be?
Speaker 2: Keep You Here came about when my father was in
Speaker 2: and out of hospital and me visiting him in the
Speaker 2: hospital and not really being able to talk to him
Speaker 2: and express my feelings at the time, and you know,
Speaker 2: having so much on your shoulders and in your heart,
Speaker 2: you don't want to be too emotional because it takes
Speaker 2: that little shift to happen in the room and everyone's crying,
Speaker 2: you know, everyone's really in that space where they're trying
Speaker 2: to come out of that sadness. But it was just
Speaker 2: trying to really have that uplifting attitude to celebrate my
Speaker 2: dad's life instead of just going into the hospital being
Speaker 2: sad constantly. So my outlet was music. I would be
Speaker 2: in the hospital write and then come back and then write.
Speaker 2: It was my place of letting how I feel out,
Speaker 2: and my outlet was music. So that's how it came about.
Speaker 1: Where did your relationship with music start.
Speaker 2: I believe it started when I was six? Oh wow, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: quite young. My father was a musician, and I grew
Speaker 2: up in a very creative family. My mom is a
Speaker 2: creative as well too, and I would see my father
Speaker 2: write a lot and play the instruments, and so that
Speaker 2: inspired me. But it's quite hilarious because I got six,
Speaker 2: you're writing about like fairies, yeah, you know, you know,
Speaker 2: all those cute things, but not realizing at the time,
Speaker 2: that was me being a creative and it really inspired
Speaker 2: my pen game. So when I hear a bet, what
Speaker 2: comes to me is like a word like I'll hear
Speaker 2: the rhythm and then like flowers, and then I'll write
Speaker 2: around flowers.
Speaker 1: Wow. What a talent that you developed at quite an
Speaker 1: early age. Is it something that carried on through your childhood?
Speaker 1: Teenagehood into adulthood or is that something you've only recently
Speaker 1: picked back up.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it continued throughout even when I was in different
Speaker 2: spaces of creativity. I was still writing, and I believe
Speaker 2: I have like more than like three four hundred songs. Wow, right,
Speaker 2: And sometimes I can't sleep, like like I have to
Speaker 2: write sometimes, Like that's why I probably take long.
Speaker 4: Naps because I'm.
Speaker 2: Like a bad product.
Speaker 3: Do you even have those moments? Because we're both writers,
Speaker 3: not songwriters, just writing like pros and stuff like that,
Speaker 3: do you I always had moments around like okay, please
Speaker 3: be quiet, I've just a sentence has come to mind.
Speaker 3: Do you ever have those moments where you're like, everyone
Speaker 3: shut up, I've got a song work.
Speaker 1: I have to write it down.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, because I feel like those are the moments like
Speaker 2: I am a believer, your guardian angels are sending you messages,
Speaker 2: so you quickly write it down before like it goes
Speaker 2: back to Yeah. So I'm like sorry, guys, and I'm like.
Speaker 3: You to excuse myself for a second. Why was now
Speaker 3: the right time to release the single?
Speaker 2: I feel I have the confidence, yeah, where back in
Speaker 2: the days, I'm confident in other spaces but with music,
Speaker 2: I always had that fear, and I was like, because
Speaker 2: I feel like music is where a lot of people
Speaker 2: would see me and see sides they haven't really seen. Yes,
Speaker 2: they'll see that in acting, but that's if I get
Speaker 2: given that character. Where music you tell so many stories
Speaker 2: and you have that creative freedom, and it's not just
Speaker 2: bubbly stories. There's some dark and gloomy moments, and when
Speaker 2: you tell those stories, you're putting out your vulnerability. And
Speaker 2: I had that fear because I was so used to,
Speaker 2: like being in a space of modeling and pageantry. I
Speaker 2: was so used to putting a facade. I knew what
Speaker 2: had to wear in certain spaces. But with music you
Speaker 2: can't do that, and acting as well. You have to
Speaker 2: really tell the story and you have to tell it truthfully,
Speaker 2: and it can be hard, and you might put it
Speaker 2: out and people are like what in the world, But
Speaker 2: that's our responsibility as artists to put it out and
Speaker 2: you might save someone's life with sharing your story.
Speaker 3: One hundred percent.
Speaker 1: It's an incredibly personal story, this one keep you here?
Speaker 1: Were they nerves and the lead up to the release
Speaker 1: of the song, because this is about you and your
Speaker 1: late father and his health, which is a story that
Speaker 1: I would like to think because quite guided to your heart.
Speaker 1: So were you nervous? Were they feelings of like, oh,
Speaker 1: I don't know if I want to put this out now,
Speaker 1: Like what was going through your head?
Speaker 2: I feel like the process leading up to it, I
Speaker 2: felt so ready okay, and I felt this calmness. But
Speaker 2: I felt like that was my dad guiding me, like
Speaker 2: he's like, I got you, because he could see like
Speaker 2: I was kind of moving back into the space of like, no,
Speaker 2: let's just wait, let's just wait, let's go back into
Speaker 2: that comfortability. But my I don't know what it was.
Speaker 2: My dad said to me before he left, He's like,
Speaker 2: you'll never ever feel alone. And I've never felt alone,
Speaker 2: Like even moments I felt fear or I felt like, oh,
Speaker 2: maybe I'm not good enough for this role or maybe
Speaker 2: for this opportunity, I felt like my dad was right
Speaker 2: there beside me and that confidence. I was like, no, actually, no,
Speaker 2: this is the right time. So in terms of that, no,
Speaker 2: I wasn't nervous to tell my story. But it just
Speaker 2: hit me a couple of days ago where the song
Speaker 2: was about to drop. Yeah, and it was I believe
Speaker 2: it was after coming here, and I was doing an
Speaker 2: interview with you and I was like yeah, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: And then I was like, oh my gosh, the song
Speaker 2: is coming and I was like wow, like it hit me.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I think it didn't hit me before because I was
Speaker 2: so into the writing and telling the story. And now
Speaker 2: I was like, oh my gosh, I'm getting ready to
Speaker 2: release the song, don't.
Speaker 1: And now it's out. The song keep Me Here is
Speaker 1: available on all streaming platforms. How do you feel, Diamond?
Speaker 1: I feel free, so like a weight lifted off your chest.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: How long is it a song being like sitting in
Speaker 3: your vote for.
Speaker 2: A year and a half? Wow? Yeah. And I have
Speaker 2: songs that's been like sitting for like eighteen years years.
Speaker 2: But I feel free. I'm like, oh my gosh, I
Speaker 2: can breathe. But then it's like, oh I got more stories?
Speaker 1: Yes, girl. Are we already onto the next lot of music?
Speaker 2: Absolutely? Yeah. I'm in the space of like getting ready
Speaker 2: to film the next music video. Excited. But it's just
Speaker 2: fun and just you know, I'm not worried about if
Speaker 2: it's going to be a popular song or like if
Speaker 2: it's trending. I feel for me as an artist, it's
Speaker 2: just about telling the story. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2: I'm interested in that artistry. So yeah, it's so exciting.
Speaker 1: How have your family received the release of the song?
Speaker 1: From your family here and in America and then Dona.
Speaker 2: They got so emotional because they know me as being
Speaker 2: a musician. Yes, and they've seen me grow up singing
Speaker 2: my whole entire life. And for them, it's kind of like, man,
Speaker 2: finally that she's had that courage to step out and
Speaker 2: just be seen. So they're happy. They cried when the
Speaker 2: song came out, and then they were also like, since
Speaker 2: where your family, what's the next song?
Speaker 3: Can you give us a previous.
Speaker 1: That's what I'm trying to do right now, Diamond, Thinking
Speaker 1: about your father, how is grieving that loss been like
Speaker 1: for you?
Speaker 2: I fell into deep depression. Yeah, and it was a
Speaker 2: difficult time for me because I was trying to act
Speaker 2: like I was okay, but I wasn't. And I'm just
Speaker 2: thankful I had creativity to really save me because I
Speaker 2: didn't realize it until I lost my father that he
Speaker 2: was one And of course my mom as well to
Speaker 2: that really understands me and being a creative and I
Speaker 2: feel like you both can understand were not really understood
Speaker 2: by many people, and my father really got me. So
Speaker 2: when I lost him, I felt like I lost a
Speaker 2: lot of my creativity because every time I had like
Speaker 2: an idea, I could bounce back ideas with him. And
Speaker 2: it was the first time I really felt alone. Like
Speaker 2: my mom was there, yeah, and she would support me
Speaker 2: in her own creative way, but my father was there
Speaker 2: for me in terms of music and bouncing off ideas
Speaker 2: and really just understanding the niche of that. So but
Speaker 2: I'm thankful that I really hit that rock bottom and
Speaker 2: really being alone, because really being alone with yourself really
Speaker 2: you have to confront certain dark parts of you that
Speaker 2: before you would hide. And then now it's like I've
Speaker 2: made friends with my dark side.
Speaker 1: My friend, You're in a bitter space now.
Speaker 2: That absolutely yeah, And I felt like my dad wanted
Speaker 2: me to feel that because you know, eventually, you know,
Speaker 2: with creativity and when you get given different roles and
Speaker 2: I'm gonna be telling different stories, You're going to be reliving,
Speaker 2: relieving that, reliving certain moments in your life that are
Speaker 2: in that realm. So not running away from me, And
Speaker 2: she's like, yeah, it is what it is.
Speaker 3: I was gonna ask, actually because I feel like releasing
Speaker 3: a song, creating a music video like that for me,
Speaker 3: if I was still on my grief journey, would be
Speaker 3: so so emotionally charged and really like emotionally exhausting. And
Speaker 3: so the fact that in some way you're almost like
Speaker 3: reclaiming that aspect of creativity that you've and that relationship
Speaker 3: that you've always had with your dad. But has there
Speaker 3: ever been like while you were in the process of
Speaker 3: releasing or recording the music video you're like, oh my gosh, no,
Speaker 3: I can't do it. It's too hear me, too much emotion.
Speaker 3: Or have you always been like, no, I need to
Speaker 3: do this.
Speaker 2: I felt like if if I were in a different timeframe,
Speaker 2: maybe a couple of years ago, I would say, no,
Speaker 2: I don't feel like I'm ready. But what's so interesting,
Speaker 2: it's like it's quite fierce, this strive, And it's like,
Speaker 2: you know, people will name certain artists and I'm like, yeah,
Speaker 2: like I'll just reach out to them and they're like
Speaker 2: they get so like, oh, like do you know them?
Speaker 2: Or I'm I'm like, no, I don't, But that's what
Speaker 2: I love. Like I always go back to the storytelling
Speaker 2: of us Pacific Islanders of being great navigators and you know,
Speaker 2: like really learning to navigate those tough sees. You know,
Speaker 2: why can't we do the same in this aspect of creativity?
Speaker 2: And you know, I'll always look at people and be like,
Speaker 2: this is our family, but we're distant family. Let's just connect,
Speaker 2: you know, just like I reached out to you, listen,
Speaker 2: why not why not reach out to people? These are
Speaker 2: your families, you know, connects and let them help you
Speaker 2: tell your stories and also vice versa.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, you don't only wear the singing hat. You also
Speaker 1: work in many different realms of the creative space. Tell
Speaker 1: us about pageantry, girl, how did you jump into that pageantry?
Speaker 2: I got into it there was a lady that I
Speaker 2: did a bit of modeling for and her name was
Speaker 2: Bo's Fashion, and she decided she wanted to enter a
Speaker 2: contestant that year for a competition called Miss Halalay. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and so that's how it came about. And she's like,
Speaker 2: do you want to compete in Miss Halala And for me,
Speaker 2: I was like, oh, because I've never really considered that.
Speaker 2: I was just really heavy in arts. And so I
Speaker 2: went and told my family and my family's like, oh,
Speaker 2: like they got shocked as well, said because they know
Speaker 2: the background that I come from. Yeah, and then it
Speaker 2: was quite a surprise. But also they were very supportive.
Speaker 2: They're like, just give it a go, give it a try.
Speaker 2: But it was so funny the year I did miss
Speaker 2: Haylala because I literally was like a comedy girl, Like
Speaker 2: I remember my sponsored being like, you gotta be a
Speaker 2: little bit more serious sitting there, like chatting and getting
Speaker 2: to know the girls, and that's when I knew. I
Speaker 2: was like, Oh, some consistents actually come really competitive.
Speaker 3: It's very real for them.
Speaker 1: I'm just here to say hi to everyone, get my photos,
Speaker 1: And what would be your words of advice to any
Speaker 1: girls wanting to take up pedgeantry? It feels like it's
Speaker 1: very is the era, this is the era girl, especially
Speaker 1: with I feel like she has taken pageantry to a
Speaker 1: whole Yeah, yeah, queen. What would be your words of
Speaker 1: advice because it seems like a very intimidating space.
Speaker 2: I would say, do it if you want to do it,
Speaker 2: do you know what I mean? And understand the responsibilities
Speaker 2: that come with wearing that crown, but also don't be
Speaker 2: afraid to be yourself. I feel like some girls feel
Speaker 2: like they need to be really polished and be well
Speaker 2: put together. But I always get I'm always interested in
Speaker 2: attracted to the girls who are quite like themselves. They're
Speaker 2: not afraid to be seen. So if you want to
Speaker 2: do it, be authentically you you know what I mean,
Speaker 2: And that's very beautiful within itself.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I always think about pretty hurts.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I feel like that's the like perception that a
Speaker 3: lot of us have, which is why it's so excited
Speaker 3: to actually talk to someone who's on a pageant or
Speaker 3: like see this kind of new era where it seems
Speaker 3: like people like the pageant girls actually like being around
Speaker 3: each other or like it's not Yeah, like I don't know,
Speaker 3: because we like fit. That's super toxic. Yeah, beating each
Speaker 3: other up back. What's your aspiration to be?
Speaker 1: Quickly diamond? Before we move on to our rapid fire,
Speaker 1: do tell us about your experience acting in the theater
Speaker 1: adaptation of Red, White and Brush. Just recently.
Speaker 3: Review review so good, like so so so good, and
Speaker 3: JP spotted me and I became the counselor person who
Speaker 3: was unimpressed.
Speaker 1: Yes, I was, like, I promise, I enjoying.
Speaker 3: But so good? What was tell us about it? It
Speaker 3: was your first time doing theater right.
Speaker 2: Yes, that was my first time having the opportunity to
Speaker 2: be in the theater space Boom. I loved it, and
Speaker 2: I would definitely say it was one of my highlights
Speaker 2: for this year. I just want to give a big
Speaker 2: shout out to the directors unabailable A Tai and Vela
Speaker 2: Mano South there for giving me the opportunity because you know,
Speaker 2: they are kings and queens in that theater.
Speaker 1: Street Beasts.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that visionary to bring a story to life, and
Speaker 2: I enjoyed it. I'm so thankful to have the opportunity
Speaker 2: to work with that cast because everyone was so kind.
Speaker 1: Did you watch that video that they did and it
Speaker 1: was like, backstage, what's that?
Speaker 2: What was the song?
Speaker 1: You guys are lip syncing something?
Speaker 2: A working?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 2: I love he was working, but with like the spray
Speaker 2: what a.
Speaker 1: Cast honestly perfect people for those YEA so good? How
Speaker 1: was it working with those with those fools?
Speaker 2: I loved it. Everyone had big personalities and you would
Speaker 2: think we would clash, you know, but we didn't. We
Speaker 2: really gewed really well together. And that just comes back
Speaker 2: down to the directors, like really having that vision right,
Speaker 2: who would be the right cast to play these characters?
Speaker 2: A and b who would be the right people to
Speaker 2: play these characters and really gel together to really make
Speaker 2: this story come to life, which they did a perfect
Speaker 2: job doing. And I loved it. I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2: And when it came to the last day, like we
Speaker 2: all cried.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: There's something about like the theater family that you create
Speaker 3: when you're putting on a show. It's so like, it's
Speaker 3: so heartbreaking when you have to leave each other because
Speaker 3: a lot of the times everyone's so busy. It is
Speaker 3: the last time you guys might be together in like
Speaker 3: a room, and it's just such a magical experience. So
Speaker 3: I'm so proud of you girl, the fact that it
Speaker 3: was your first time doing theater.
Speaker 2: She like, you guys can go into our bike. See
Speaker 2: I knew it.
Speaker 1: Oh no, that's a little girl. She's the actress. Allow,
Speaker 1: I just got a degree.
Speaker 3: It means nothing.
Speaker 1: I saw the crowds for it, man, I was packed.
Speaker 1: Oh so good. We love Pacific Excellence. I hope like
Speaker 1: there's another theater play like that that comes up, so surely, Yeah,
Speaker 1: there's so much popping up around. Yeah, we love we
Speaker 1: love Diamond. One last, Christian, how do you remain connected
Speaker 1: to your tongue and culture while living away from the islands.
Speaker 1: Is there a relationship that you are navigating or is
Speaker 1: there a balance there that you can find? Yeah?
Speaker 2: I would say for me, I always reconnect by eating
Speaker 2: the food Kirian see and just like learning little things,
Speaker 2: whether it's the language, how to cook the food, you know,
Speaker 2: learning the history miss and the music.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 2: I'm getting ready to also release tongue in music as well.
Speaker 4: Okay, yeah, yes, yes, yes, I am here for it.
Speaker 1: How do you feel about that?
Speaker 2: I can't wait. You know, the last tongue in song
Speaker 2: I did we saw was Wow. We released that twenty
Speaker 2: seventeen when the World Cup was here.
Speaker 1: Wow. So it's been a hot minute.
Speaker 2: It's been a hot minute. So yeah, can't wait. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Is it like the same process that you go through
Speaker 1: when recording a song in English? Or I does it
Speaker 1: come from a different place.
Speaker 2: I feel like writing tongue in comes from a different place.
Speaker 2: It feels quite more heavier, my MafA, like words like
Speaker 2: sink in a bit deeper.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: So I feel like that's what it's important to sing.
Speaker 1: Like.
Speaker 2: It's yes, we can sing English songs, but we if
Speaker 2: your tongue in or if you're smuring if you're mo,
Speaker 2: it's important to seeing songs in your native tongue as well.
Speaker 1: Oh we love that. We will be listening to that.
Speaker 4: So yeah, period, we are pre saving yes following on Spotify. Sorry, Diamond,
Speaker 4: I just want to mention that me and Diamond are cousins.
Speaker 1: I haven't mentioned that yet. We are both from local
Speaker 1: Uku and Tonga, So what do you know about us?
Speaker 2: Okay? I was so crazy. I just remember my saying
Speaker 2: you're from local Nuke because I'm so used to being
Speaker 2: from Are you from viny people? No, I'm from Viiny
Speaker 2: this village. But when he was like, I was like oh,
Speaker 2: and I was like, oh, I do you know people?
Speaker 2: And He's like, girl, are from I love that.
Speaker 3: It really is reconnecting with family, just like he was
Speaker 3: saying before.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we're excited nic breeds.
Speaker 3: Come on.
Speaker 1: I'm just agree because I don't know anything that young
Speaker 1: face Diamond. Speaking of the Kingdom, we are wanting to
Speaker 1: narrow down which tongue and delicacy is bitter to you,
Speaker 1: lotty horsy.
Speaker 2: Or lou like lou sipy or just lou by itself,
Speaker 2: just lott period. I'm gonna have to go Horsey.
Speaker 1: Have you tried before?
Speaker 3: No, it was offered to me once and I turned
Speaker 3: it down.
Speaker 1: It's okay, it'd be intimidating.
Speaker 3: One day though, with people that I trust, I would love.
Speaker 1: To try it maybe and Diamond to take you. How
Speaker 1: would you describe the taste of lot e Hossey.
Speaker 2: I feel like you will love it, like if it's
Speaker 2: cooked right. They will cook the meat so then it
Speaker 2: becomes really soft and chewable, where some people make it
Speaker 2: quite different. It's still a little bit hard. Yes, so
Speaker 2: it depends who's cooking it and also how they lot it.
Speaker 1: Charlie, this is Charlie for me. We're going to keep
Speaker 1: this big shout out to Charlie.
Speaker 2: Can come back in, Charlie.
Speaker 1: You know what.
Speaker 2: It's so funny. So Mars is from and Charlie is
Speaker 2: my cousin from Charlie.
Speaker 1: I think he's going to actually come at that. Please,
Speaker 1: we've got to keep this in. We've got to keep
Speaker 1: this recently come in unless I only recently tried cover.
Speaker 2: Yeah when today?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 3: No, no, like literally a few a few days ago.
Speaker 1: Okay, welcome, Charlie brought me here into the studio.
Speaker 2: No, I wanted you to come in. I was like,
Speaker 2: Charlie is from by.
Speaker 1: Me Nickel, so we're practically here and the listeners family
Speaker 1: by Associations.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, thanks Bro.
Speaker 1: I was the cover they had covered this morning for breakfast.
Speaker 1: They had it early this morning.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 5: And Charlie's covers the best, apparently, said.
Speaker 3: Bro has cover once and there's cover dog.
Speaker 2: Now wow.
Speaker 1: How much should I pour?
Speaker 3: Just a little bit? I only had a step. It
Speaker 3: was differently for we flour it up for both of us.
Speaker 5: I think.
Speaker 1: That's just too much.
Speaker 3: Okay, that's that's definitely enough, fellow, Yes, we'll share it.
Speaker 3: Come on, baby.
Speaker 2: Like.
Speaker 1: You're like a fraud.
Speaker 2: Anything. I was gonna say the same.
Speaker 3: Not to the bottom, mare, and we have that's a lot.
Speaker 2: You had a lot. What I'm proud of. You get it.
Speaker 2: You do your thing. You and a listen to your thing.
Speaker 1: This is so bad.
Speaker 2: So why are we doing this?
Speaker 1: Monday mornings?
Speaker 2: Monday? You never miss a Monday. Oh wow, I never
Speaker 2: knew they came packaged like this.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: Oh that's nice.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's actually quite nice.
Speaker 2: Happy tongue in Language, Happy Tongue.
Speaker 5: And Language week languagege Okay, thank you for joining us, Charlie,
Speaker 5: and for the cover.
Speaker 3: Yea, love you very much.
Speaker 4: Take care here, very tongue.
Speaker 3: Just what just happened?
Speaker 2: Very very.
Speaker 3: Okay, thank you so much for joining us, Diamond. Where
Speaker 3: can we find you on social media?
Speaker 1: Yes?
Speaker 2: So all my social media handles is Diamond, Lungy. Don't
Speaker 2: be afraid, come and send me a comment, message, interacts.
Speaker 3: And you can find keep you here on all streaming
Speaker 3: platforms and you should stream it on I.
Speaker 1: Let's get those streams up.
Speaker 4: Coming on for having me, Marlo okay, and that brings
Speaker 4: us to the end of Island Roots Auckland Ways for
Speaker 4: you another week.
Speaker 1: We have the videos on our Instagram and TikTok Island
Speaker 1: Roots Auckland Ways. Thank you again, Diamond.
Speaker 3: Thanks girls.
Speaker 1: The whole cover tension.
Speaker 3: Happened because that was so random. It was really really wild,
Speaker 3: actually very brown, very broad, very put me to coded
Speaker 3: and just he was literally waving in the window and
Speaker 3: then we were like, oh, come on.
Speaker 1: Come on to be honest. I'm not like woozy, but
Speaker 1: I'm like, damn, I can feel it in my sister.
Speaker 3: It's a nice tinkle though, don't you think very much.
Speaker 3: This is my second time drinking cover and I really
Speaker 3: liked it.
Speaker 1: The ancestors were doing something with GBA.
Speaker 3: Actually, I don't know why. I see I liked it. I'm
Speaker 3: still unsure how I feel about it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, give it a little bit of time. Yeah, but
Speaker 1: maybe we can catch up with Diamond for another round
Speaker 1: of cover and Charlie.
Speaker 4: Yeah, what a multiverse of madness Sixties gag baby, you
Speaker 4: would think that Alissa's talking.
Speaker 1: Well, there, we'll catch you next week. Bye.