Vanessa Diandra Sally Ann Kiristiana Quai, better known as Vanessa Quai, born July 13, 1988 in

Port Vila Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate. Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...

,"Biography: Vanessa Quai"
Pacific Islands Radio, 2004 is a

ni-Vanuatu Ni-Vanuatu (informally abbreviated Ni-Van) is a large group of closely related Melanesian ethnic groups native to the island country of Vanuatu. As such, ''Ni-Vanuatu'' are a mixed ethnolinguistic group with a shared ethnogenesis that speak a mu ...

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, Queensland, 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 ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

. 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 Guinean 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 is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

, 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 ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

, with a jury presided over by

Lane Davies Lane Davies (born July 31, 1951) is an American actor. Personal life Davies was born in Dalton, Georgia, the son of Emily and Bill Davies. He has three brothers—Bruce, George, and Whit. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with ...

. In 2012, she was preparing her tenth album, and preparing for a tour in the United States in September. She performed at the Gentilly Festival in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. Pacific Islands Radio describes her music as being primarily

gospel songs Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

, but also "rang ngfrom traditional to modern music". The ''

Papua New Guinea Post-Courier The ''Papua New Guinea Post-Courier'' is a newspaper based in Konedobu, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It was established on 30 June 1969. Its parent company, The Herald and Weekly Times (later purchased by News Corp Australia), had acquired w ...

'' 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 (,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh ; Tok Pisin ), often referred to by English speakers as "New Guinea Pidgin" or simply Pidgin, is a creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an ...

and Motu."Quai signs recording contract with CHM"
''Post-Courier'', January 23, 2004 Quai's mother is Fijian, and she also sings in Fijian."Vanuatu's Vanessa Quai Enters Tahitian Market"
''Solomon Times'', September 16, 2008 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 The ''Solomon Star'' is a Solomon Islands daily, English language

'' in 2008 described her as "a household name in the Pacific" and possibly "the most successful female artist in the region"; in 2012 described her as "the Pacific singing super-star"."Vanessa Quai to arrive for SOP Conference next week"
''Solomon Star'', March 20, 2012 Her music is reportedly popular in French Polynesia, and in 2008 she became the first

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...

n singer to tour

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

. In April 2009, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described Quai as one of Vanuatu's "living cultural icons"."Country profile: Vanuatu"
''The Guardian'', April 25, 2009

Discography

Studio albums

* To Aitape With Love (1998) * Beautiful Pacific Islands (2000) * The Untouched Paradise (2002) * Pacifika (2003) * Promise (2004) * Transformation (2005) * Island Girl (2007) * Light It Up (2018) * Promise (2018)

Singles

* Freedom (2002) * ''Angel Over Me'' with. Elena Baravilala & Davu (2014) * True Harmony (2014)

References

External links