Vanessa Quai
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Diandra Sally Ann Kiristiana Quai, better known as Vanessa Quai, born July 13, 1988 in Port Vila
, is a ni-Vanuatu
singer.
, and was the only child competitor. She won third prize in the Gospel/Inspirational Category. Later that same year, she took first prize at the Nile International Children Song Contest, in Cairo
. 1999 was the year she "hit the international music scene", according to the Vanuatu Weekly Hebdomadaire.
Quai's second, third and fourth albums -Beautiful Pacific Islands, The Untouched Paradise and Pacifika- were released between 2000 and 2003. In 2004, her album Promise was a cooperation with Papua New Guinea
n group Soul Harmony, and was described as bearing a strong "R&B flavour".
In 2002, her song "Freedom" topped the radio charts in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands
, and ranked second on the charts in Papua New Guinea. In 2004, she won first prize at the International Teenagers Singing Competition, in Bucharest
, with a jury presided over by Lane Davies
.
Pacific Islands Radio describes her music as being primarily gospel songs
, but also "rang[ing] from traditional to modern music". The Papua New Guinea Post-Courier
describes her music as gospel music, "mixed with slow ballads, R‘n’B, hip hop and South Pacific flavour", and notes that she sings in "many languages", including Tok Pisin
and Motu
. Quai's mother is Fijian
, and she also sings in Fijian
. During a concert in the Solomon Islands in January 2009, her music was described as "a blend of island, reggae, dance and hip-hop beats".
Quai has been described by Pacific Islands Radio as "a very popular artist in the whole Pacific region". In 2004, the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier described her as "Vanuatu’s No.1 music artist, and one of the South Pacific’s best female singing sensations". The Solomon Times in 2007 described her as "very popular" in the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Star
in 2008 described her as "a household name in the Pacific" and possibly "the most successful female artist in the region". Her music is reportedly popular in French Polynesia
, and in 2008 she became the first Melanesia
n singer to tour Tahiti
.
In April 2009, The Guardian
described Quai as one of Vanuatu's "living cultural icons".
Port Vila
Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result . This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's...
, is a ni-Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
singer.
Overview
She recorded her first album, To Aitape With Love (recorded at Vanuata Production, produced at Pacific Gold Studio), as a child singer, aged 9, in 1998. In 1999, she was one of 3000 competitors at the South Pacific International Song contest held in Gold Coast, QueenslandGold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, and was the only child competitor. She won third prize in the Gospel/Inspirational Category. Later that same year, she took first prize at the Nile International Children Song Contest, in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. 1999 was the year she "hit the international music scene", according to the Vanuatu Weekly Hebdomadaire.
Quai's second, third and fourth albums -Beautiful Pacific Islands, The Untouched Paradise and Pacifika- were released between 2000 and 2003. In 2004, her album Promise was a cooperation with Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
n group Soul Harmony, and was described as bearing a strong "R&B flavour".
In 2002, her song "Freedom" topped the radio charts in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, and ranked second on the charts in Papua New Guinea. In 2004, she won first prize at the International Teenagers Singing Competition, in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, with a jury presided over by Lane Davies
Lane Davies
-Personal life:Davies was born in Dalton, Georgia, the son of Emily and Bill Davies. He has three brothers. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with cum laude honors for his degree in speech and theater. Currently, he resides in Georgia with his family...
.
Pacific Islands Radio describes her music as being primarily gospel songs
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, but also "rang[ing] from traditional to modern music". The Papua New Guinea Post-Courier
Papua New Guinea Post-Courier
The Papua New Guinea Post-Courier is a newspaper based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.With a circulation of 41,000, the Post-Courier is the largest selling Pacific Island newspaper....
describes her music as gospel music, "mixed with slow ballads, R‘n’B, hip hop and South Pacific flavour", and notes that she sings in "many languages", including Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin is a creole spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in that country...
and Motu
Motu
Motu may refer to:*Motu language, a language of Papua New Guinea*Motu proprio, a type of Papal document*MOTU, also known as "Mark of the Unicorn", a maker of professional audio hardware and software...
. Quai's mother is Fijian
Fijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
, and she also sings in Fijian
Fijian language
Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 450,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language...
. During a concert in the Solomon Islands in January 2009, her music was described as "a blend of island, reggae, dance and hip-hop beats".
Quai has been described by Pacific Islands Radio as "a very popular artist in the whole Pacific region". In 2004, the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier described her as "Vanuatu’s No.1 music artist, and one of the South Pacific’s best female singing sensations". The Solomon Times in 2007 described her as "very popular" in the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Star
Solomon Star
The Solomon Star is a Solomon Islands daily, English language newspaper, launched on May 25, 1982. It is produced by the Solomon Star Company, whose publisher and director, , is John Lamani. Lamani was also one of the paper's co-founders. The newspaper's editor, , is Ofani Eremae....
in 2008 described her as "a household name in the Pacific" and possibly "the most successful female artist in the region". Her music is reportedly popular in French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
, and in 2008 she became the first Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
n singer to tour Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
.
In April 2009, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described Quai as one of Vanuatu's "living cultural icons".
External links
- "Spreading the Gospel", Esther Haro, Post-Courier, January 23, 2004 (article about Quai in a Papua New Guinean newspaper)