Joshua Christian Nanai (born 5 November 2002), better known as Jawsh 685, is a New Zealand beat maker and

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

. While a student at

Manurewa High School , motto_translation = Rise to the Heavens , type = State co-ed secondary (year 9–13) , established = 1960 , address = 67 Browns RoadManurewaAuckland 2102New Zealand , coordinates = , principal = Pete Jones , roll = ...

, in South Auckland, New Zealand, he made his breakthrough with the 2020

siren jam Siren kings are members of a primarily Pasifika underground youth subculture, originating in Auckland, New Zealand, which gained popularity in the mid-2010s. The siren scene involves competitions where crews compete for the loudest and cleares ...

single "

Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat) "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)", originally known as "Savage Love", is a song by New Zealand music producer Jawsh 685 and American singer Jason Derulo. The song was officially released on 11 June 2020, following the resolution of sample cl ...

" in collaboration with American R&B singer

Jason Derulo Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer and songwriter.

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...

made a remix to the song which reached number one in over 15 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Early life and career

Nanai was born and raised in

South Auckland South Auckland is an imprecisely defined urban area of Auckland, New Zealand, with a young population, a relatively large Polynesian and Māori demographic, and lower incomes than other parts of Auckland. The name ''South Auckland'', though not ...

, and currently lives in

Manurewa Manurewa is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand. It was part of Manukau City before the creation of the Auckland super city in 2010. It is located south of the Manukau, Manukau City Centre, and southeast of Auckland CBD. The subur ...

. He is of mixed

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

descent: half- Samoan and half-

Cook Islander Cook Islanders are residents of the Cook Islands, which is composed of 15 islands and atolls in Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Cook Islands Māori are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Cook Is ...

. The "685" in his stage name refers to the

calling code Country calling codes or country dial-in codes are telephone number prefixes for reaching telephone subscribers in the networks of the member countries or regions of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The codes are defined by the ...

for

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

. He became the first Pasifika and the third New Zealander ever to top the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

{{Authority control 2002 births Living people People educated at Manurewa High School 21st-century New Zealand musicians Musicians from Auckland New Zealand people of Cook Island descent New Zealand people of Samoan descent New Zealand record producers Child pop musicians