logo
George 'Fiji' Veikoso: Voice of the Pacific

George 'Fiji' Veikoso: Voice of the Pacific

Fijian-born recording artist and Pacific music legend George "Fiji" Veikoso leaves behind a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations.
Best known for shaping the sound of Island reggae and Island R&B, Veikoso spent more than 30 years in Hawai'i, where his music career took off and earned him global fame.
Fiji, who died at the age of 55 in Suva in July 2025, is remembered as more than a singer. He was a cultural force, a mentor and a voice for his people.
This music special pays tribute to that legacy.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

British actor Micheal Ward charged with rape
British actor Micheal Ward charged with rape

Perth Now

time7 hours ago

  • Perth Now

British actor Micheal Ward charged with rape

BAFTA-nominated actor Micheal Ward has been charged with rape and sexual assault. The 27-year-old, who has starred in Blue Story and Top Boy, is accused of offences against one woman in January 2023, the Metropolitan Police said. The force said he is charged with two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Ward, of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, will appear at Thames Magistrates' Court on August 28, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Following the charges, Detective Superintendent Scott Ware said: "Our specialist officers continue to support the woman who has come forward - we know investigations of this nature can have significant impact on those who make reports." The Jamaican-born actor was awarded the BAFTA Rising Star honour in 2020 and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA for his role in BBC's Small Axe in 2021 and the 2022 film Empire Of Light. Ward, who has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, played in the Soccer Aid match at Stamford Bridge in 2024 and gave a reading at the Christmas Eve carol service hosted by the Princess of Wales in 2023. He is due to star in the American film Eddington alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, which is due to be released in the UK in August.

National Portrait Gallery unveils installation of Romance Was Born designers
National Portrait Gallery unveils installation of Romance Was Born designers

ABC News

time7 hours ago

  • ABC News

National Portrait Gallery unveils installation of Romance Was Born designers

Two Australian fashion designers are the focus of a new "opulent, big, and unique" photographic installation at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales are the minds behind Romance Was Born, a fashion house founded in 2005 and loved by the likes of Cate Blanchett and Niki Minaj. In the 20 years since it was founded, the brand's garments have been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and are held in several national costume and textile collections. The duo also value sustainability in their work, having held shows using offcuts of material and workshops teaching how to tailor clothes so they last longer. "Before I even knew Anna, I used to go to op shops and buy secondhand clothing, unpick them, sew them back together and make new things out of them," Sales said. "I guess it's just who we are as designers, and how we've always worked." Plunkett agreed, adding that they had a genuine appreciation for vintage textiles and upcycling. "It's a part of our work and our DNA," Plunkett said. Long-term friend of Sales and Plunkett, artist Samual Hodge, used photographs from his own collection to encompass the minds of the pair. The process took months of sifting through thousands of photographs he'd taken over their two decades of friendship. Incorporating different mediums including paint, dye, and photography, Hodge said he hoped to echo the coming together of fashion and art which was central to Plunkett and Sales's work. "Every time I see them do a show or a collection, it's never what you expect," Hodge said. "I wanted to match that way of working, to push everything to be bigger and bolder. "I could have just done a single portrait, but it wouldn't have really done justice to everything that they've done." Sales said Hodge's piece embodied who he and Plunkett were as designers, along with the spirit of the brand. Plunkett agreed and said the work taking up a whole wall was appropriate to the dramatic nature of their work. "It's so extra, and me and Luke are both very extra — we always want to shoot for the stars with what we do," she said. National Portrait Gallery Director Bree Pickering said the brand was unique in the Australian fashion industry, so their portrait had to be equally unconventional. "They burst onto the scene with a really distinct and bold voice, and they've maintained that voice over 20 years," Ms Pickering said. "Every time they do a show, there's something unexpected, but absolutely so Romance Was Born. It's very Australian, but it's globally influential. "And, of course, it's Romance Was Born so … the portrait had to evoke them — it had to be opulent, big, and unique, and noisy." She said Sydney in the mid-2000s, when Romance Was Born began, was a productive moment for art and fashion that Hodge's piece had captured. "[Romance Was Born] were there at that moment, and what's super exciting is Sam Hodge, the artist, was also there at that moment," Ms Pickering said. "So what we see in this portrait is actually almost a portrait of Sydney's creative scene at that time, as well as a portrait of Luke, a portrait of Anna, a portrait of Romance Was Born." Ms Pickering said the piece was "overwhelmingly beautiful", which spoke to the brand itself. "What is wonderful about the work is the layers," she said. "What Sam [Hodge] does that is so lovely is that he kind of collapses time together. "So when you look at the work you'll see 20 years of Romance Was Born, but it's absolutely them now. And the more you look at it the more you get."

‘Timeless' Disney musical set to enchant Perth audiences
‘Timeless' Disney musical set to enchant Perth audiences

Perth Now

time20 hours ago

  • Perth Now

‘Timeless' Disney musical set to enchant Perth audiences

After a 30-year wait, audiences finally have the chance to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast in Perth as this musical tale as old as time is performed at Crown Theatre from Thursday night. Just as thrilled by the prospect are the stars of the Australian touring production Shubshri Kandiah and Brendan Xavier, who are set to enchant audiences of all ages in their title roles as Belle and Beast. 'It's really such a timeless tale, and the fact that Beauty and the Beast has never been to Perth before makes it so exciting,' Kandiah said. Credit: Ross Swanborough / The West Australian, Shubshri Kandiah and Brendan Xavier, the stars of Beauty and the Beast in Kings Park, Perth Xavier said Beauty and the Beast had 'everything you want and expect from a Disney musical; lavish costumes, incredible sets, high energy dance numbers, world-class music played by a live orchestra. It's steeped in nostalgia'. Perth-born and raised Kandiah arrived at her hometown in style thanks to prominent Perth designer Steph Audino, who created a custom spectacular yellow dress for the occasion. Audino spent more than a month designing and creating the contemporary homage to the famous yellow gown Belle wears when she first dances with Beast. 'I love this bespoke Steph Audino piece; the colours, textures. . . it's the perfect nod to a modern-day Belle,' Kandiah said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store