May 31, 2026 • 23 mins
Hailed as one of the most exciting tenors of his generation, Samoan-born Pene Pati has been taking the global stage by storm with his radiant voice, effortless high notes, and an infectious, warm charisma that disarms audiences the moment he steps under the lights.
Whether he’s starring in the world's leading opera houses or sharing the stage with his brothers in Sol3 Mio, he brings a unique, down-to-earth joy to classical music.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk SEDB. Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio,
Real Conversation, Real Connection, It's Real Life with John Cowen
on News Talk s EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
GOODA, Welcome to real Life. I'm John cown Tonight.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
My guest has been described as one of the best
tenors of his generation. He's part of the hit crossover
classical group Solo Meo and he's gone on to sing
in some of the most famous opera houses in the
world as recordings international hits, and he recently he got
a top award from the French government for promoting French culture.
So welcome PENNI parte, Welcome malow. I believe it's more
(01:04):
more formal to go as a molol.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Yes, what I've done?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I tell us what have you been doing? Just lightly?
What's on your diary at the moment?
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Well, this this month has been has been quite stacked.
But this is kind of a weird thing to say,
because every other month has been stacked as well. But
the main thing I had been doing was I was
doing an opera in Zurich. Yes, and between the shows,
between the eight shows, I had been doing a concert
between every single show, so between Dorte Mount, the Spaden
(01:39):
in Paris with the philar Money in Paris and over
in Finland with the finished opera. So it's been a
whole bunch of stuff finally coming to an end so
I can have a summer break.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
You're you're going to actually get a break because I
haven't got some shows coming up in Italy or that's a.
Speaker 5 (01:58):
Good question, so I will be hitting off to Italy,
but at least you get this tiny little break before that.
And I, uh, you know, a lot of the time
it's my fault. I keep saying yes to everything.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
I think.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Being from New Zealand, you're kind of like I got
to seize the opportunity, you know, as a Kiwi, as
someone I got to take all the opportunities or ask
the Europeans are going to take it off, okay, And
then you end up filling up your calendar and you're like, oh,
I should have had a break.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Now now you've had a home and summer home in
South Auckland. Where's home for you?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Now?
Speaker 5 (02:28):
Home now is in there's in Paris, France. So here's
the base. It's been here for about three years now
before this was San Francisco, but now that's the base,
is the beautiful city of love here in Paris and.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Feeling okay for you if you feel like this is
a place that you know you can resonate with, you
enjoy it.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Do you know what?
Speaker 5 (02:48):
There's a lot, there's a lot that we connect to
with the French, so surprisingly, and there is quite a
big Simon community in the south, much to my surprise,
a lot of someone's who.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Are born here.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Yeah, and so the you know, they're here playing rugby.
So there's a huge community of Someone's and a huge
community of Kiwis. I mean, I love are the same music,
rugby and sports and everything. So we've got a We've
got a fantastic connection here.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, oh that's great.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Now.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Just just today I watched that beautiful movie of your
journey and your your brother AMMATAI called Tendor. My name
is Party, and it's a wonderful movie. I'd have felt
a bit odd seeing yourself on the screen.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
It still does, it still doesn't.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
And then we just saw the screening in Paris this
week and in Berlin, and both times I thought I
would be used, I will be used to this because
I've seen it now four or five times, but still
I got emotional watching it, which is a weird thing
to sing it again, He's emotional over myself.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
That's kind of strange.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Actually, part of it is you watching videos of yourself
on the movie, so you're actually watching yourself watching yourself.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Exception type stuff. Now, now we're falling in the matrix here, But.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
I look, there's of course a lot of beautiful music,
but it's also a peak into your world, worlds that
I don't know anything about, the world of opera, and
also the world of samboa and and and a big
theme of course is family. Family just comes across is
such a powerful thing and a big motivation, and it's
it's sort of wired up your psychology in the way
(04:34):
that you do things, hasn't it.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Yeah, it has.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
And and what's made it even more tough is that
even though family is the it's the root of it all,
and it's what's it's the motivation, it's also become the
thing that you miss the most in the sense that
it's such a solitary job. And you can see this
in the film that you're so alone all the time,
and so the irony are saying this you know, I'm
(04:57):
doing this for my family. My family are not here.
It's such a it's such a tough spot to be
And then so I always care when I consider family
as well, consider my nuclear family of course, but also
I considered the New Zealand. You know, I considered he's
here in my family. Any key, we I come across,
I say, hey, you know you're you're my Fano man,
(05:18):
you're my brother and and and the Pacific. So it's yeah,
it's a tough it's a tough, tough road to be on,
but it's full.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Then tell me a bit about your mum and dad.
I mean, I feel like I know them after seeing
the movie. Introduce them to the audience.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
There's such they're such lovely. You know, My my parents
were such hard workers, but whose periods weren't, you know,
everyone's parents were such hard workers to try to provide
as much as they can for their kids. My mom
was very soft handed with us, because my dad was
very hard handed with us, but in a sense that
he you know, he was a young man trying to
(05:56):
figure out what to do and how to raise his kids,
and he was very strict on bringing us up. But
he wanted us to I remember everything. He would always
say was you know you to be I hope you.
I just want you to be someone who's strong on
their own feet.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
That you don't need me anymore. And that's kind of
nice thing to say, and at the same time it's
the same time a tough thing to.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
Say that I don't need you anymore dead, you know, yeah,
And to finally give him a hug in the last
year and say I will always need you, but you
know this now I'm here for you.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
It's a beautiful thing to say. You know, I love
them both completely.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
They're such hard workers, but I don't think they ever
had said that they're very dead, that they're proud, not
in a bad way. It's very someone just to say,
you know, keep going, put your head down, stay humble,
and keep going. You know you've always got work to do.
There've never been the tux to give your hug and say, oh, well,
proud of you. You've done the best you can. They've
(06:55):
always said there's always something there.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
I was going to ask you, what's harder singing at
the meet in front of all these opera buffs or
singing on a white sunday in your church with your mama.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Oh John, you know, you know, I think the Aunties
are the most critical people you're ever going to sing in.
They're the ones who they're the most judgmental people, the Aunties,
And you've got to love it. You can see because
they don't hide it on their faces. You see you
see them, you see this scrunched their noses and you're like,
oh no, I screwed up?
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Okay, what do I do?
Speaker 3 (07:32):
That type of discipline is obviously paid off in your
in your life, and that opera singing requires incredible focus
and discipline as well as any skill and talent that
you have. You've got to really kN knuckle in and
do the work. That discipline that you've got in your
family is there. You talk you talk about in the
(07:54):
movie about how hard it was actually the physical discipline
that you got as kids. When you when you're a dad,
are you going to try and get the same results
but differently?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
I think I learned so much from it that if I,
you know, one day, if I ever decided to have kids,
I will know, you know, what's not right from wrong,
But I at least have a different avenue of achieving
the same results. Whereas I feel because of my experience
of life, you know, whereas I feel my parents, especially
(08:28):
my dad, really only had one avenue of achieving this results,
be these results because he never knew anything else. And
by talking about this in the film, it wasn't to
expose him per se. And a lot of people have
come up and said, thank you for talking about this,
because this does happen. I said, no, I wanted to
show this because I wanted him to feel forgiven that
(08:50):
he didn't that he that I have but no resentment
towards him.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Oh, and that's just me.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
I think that's my own personal views that I look
back at it and say, you were a young man,
you didn't know, you thought this was the right way,
so you know, so I have a so much love
for him, and I turned out to be the man
I am.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Because of the well, he should be proud of that,
even if he doesn't say it, he should be proud.
H Now I get the impression that some omens I
think they must be singing in the womb. They're singing
from the earliest days, and it's and the family and
at church, and there's a lot of clips of you
(09:31):
in church and singing like that. You've taken a lot
of samore and your heart overseas as you've traveled around.
Is there anything of that church background that still stays
in your heart too? Do you have a faith in God?
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
I mean that's that's deeply embedded and that's deeply instilled.
Every time I talk to my parents is the first
thing they say. They say, you know, God bless you,
like I hope you hope you're doing your prayers every night,
And I say, yes, I am. Now you've you know,
You've banged that into my head since I was a kid,
like I would never forget it. So it's absolutely part
(10:06):
of who I am. It's faith, religion, it's the dry
the spirits.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Yeah, yeah, well that must be I guess a comfort
when you're so far away from home as well.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Oh yeah, for sure. For sure. Knowing that you know,
knowing that.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
I know there's a guidance there that that's keeping us together,
that's absolutely a comfort, especially when you're all alone if.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
You just joined us.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
My guest tonight is Opera Star Penny Party, and we'll
be talking more about his upbringing and more about his
life out on the road and what it's like to
stand in front of all these tens of thousands of people.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
I'm John Cown. This is real life on news talk
z EDB.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Intelligent interviews with interesting people. It's real life on news
talk z EDBA.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
To the place party Best Virginia.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Gooday, welcome back to real life. I'm talking with opera star.
He's almost a legend. I think how long do you
have to be in a versus to be a legend.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I think he's a.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Legend already, Betty Buddy, And you've chosen a song that
I would was surprised by what you What are we
listening to? Here?
Speaker 4 (11:33):
It is John Denver's Country Road.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Now, if you've seen the film, I actually this is
a part where my brother and I are singing this.
We're singing a very high voice sopanos. This song has
been the song of my entire life. My parents, my
dad would sing this every time at the retirement home,
and it was the first song we learned how to play.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Actually was this one?
Speaker 5 (11:55):
And oh what is it?
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Oh? No, I remember I remember it. Yeah, we'll come
to mine.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
I mean, probably only about five thousand songs trackling around.
You can be excused for forgetting one you mentioned the
retirement home.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
That was interesting.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
You mother and dad were both nurses working in this
retirement home, but also working there were the whole of
your family.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Yes, yes, and it's you know, we dedicated our lives
to this place. And it wasn't only just singing at
this rest home, but we worked in every single aspect
of it. We fed the residents, we helped clean the place,
we washed the dishes, we drove everyone around. My sister
worked in the admin. It was it was absolutely part
(12:47):
of our lives. We knew everybody's histories, where people came from,
the people's siblings, you know every single residence and you know,
I think as children, as kids, this was also a
way we didn't know, but we were subconsciously learning about
loss because sometimes we'll come in and someone is gone.
(13:08):
They say, wow, that person is you know, God has
decided to take that person in and would. In the
beginning it was tough, but after a while we just
accepted it were like, wow, there goes you know, her
piece at peace.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Now onto the next. And it was such an interior
part of life.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Because you were singing so often there as well as
doing thedicious as a family was singing regularly to these people.
You said in the movie that you understood that sometimes
you would be the last thing that people hearing this life.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Yeah, And we didn't even think about it that way
at that time. We just remember I just remember singing
in people's rooms. And this was just the thing that
we decided to do. It wasn't even a programmed. My
dad made the program stuff that we sang every Friday evenings,
but during the weekend because we got bored, my brother
and my cousin, we would grab the guitar and just
(14:03):
go into people's rooms and say, hey, see only like
we're just here to sing a few songs. And then
next day you'll turn up and and they're gone. Would say, okay,
what what happened? Is it?
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Na?
Speaker 4 (14:13):
He went in his sleep like ha.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
And there so the order I got I realized I
was we were the last things you only heard, yeah,
you know, or he went. And it's now it's a
beautiful thought, and now I understand why my parents were,
why my dad did it, and it's yeah, it's such
a moving thought.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yeah, because music does so many different things to people
that can make them feel loving, it can make them moved.
I'm not an opera buff but I went along to
last year to Rigoletto. Your brother was singing the Duke
a Yes, and I was just amazed at how emotional
it was, how moved I felt. I wasn't sure whether
(14:51):
I even liked opera music all that much, but I did.
And but the emotion was the thing that got to me.
And I think this is something that's part of your success.
You understand that you're an emotional singer.
Speaker 5 (15:05):
Yeah, I am, and and I and I mentioned this
clearly also in the in this in this film, is
that I'm led by emotions on stage much so to
the detriment of, you know, of singing. There could be
moments where I really jeopardized the singing for it. But
I think that vulnerability in the singing, that emotional singing
is what people connect to. They're not there to judge
(15:27):
your singings per se. They're there to be moved and
like you there that you were like I don't know why,
but I was. I was moved by it and it
was an a elecquigy that you don't even understand or.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
It was the same thing for me.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
When I saw Boem for the first time, I left
going Why am I so emotional? I have no idea
what they said. I just feel I just feel emotional
because of it.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I was that the first opering you in scene?
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Yes, it was, and I just I remember just crying
at the end. Well, you know, I was trying to.
I was pretending to sneeze because I didn't want to.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
I didn't want my mates.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
I didn't want my mates to see me crying because
I was playing, you know, I was. I was one
of the big rugby boys at the time, and I
just I kept pretending did the sneeze. And they said,
oh you behay fever, and I said, yeah, Oh my god,
what all the dust in the dina?
Speaker 4 (16:14):
What the hell?
Speaker 3 (16:16):
The link between rugby and music at Aarreara College, that
was a fascinating thing.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
I you know, what a great move. And now that
I think about it, it was such a good connection,
you know, to.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Tell people what we're talking about here.
Speaker 5 (16:31):
Ah. Yes, when in my high school and out did
the college back in the day, they needed boys for
the for the production h Miss Pinafore that they were
doing at the time, and the music teacher went to
the first fifteen and said, look, we're looking for some
lads and then the coach said, you know what, I'll
bring the entire first fifteen. And this was a great
(16:52):
move to so because they wanted to bridge the gap
between being a choir boy and a and a school jock.
So yeah, and it worked. This was it brought out
the sensitivity and all these boys and now you can
imagine the whole first half of the whole front row was.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
Up there singing.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
We had one rugby game where we actually sang a
choir song on the field and that and the crowd
was kind of they were kind of giggling and rightly
so exid what the hell are they doing?
Speaker 4 (17:23):
And then we turned around and destroyed them and it was.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
It was they weren't giggling. Then.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Yeah. One of the things I didn't understand from the movie,
maybe you can unpack it a bit more, is that
you pushed three people towards Cardiff and you had the
opportunity of going yourself, and you thought it was more
important than they went. Then you went, and there was
(17:52):
a sense of you're doing it for them. In fact,
a lot of the times through the movie, you're doing
things for your family, for New Zealand, for Samoa, for
your mates. That selflessness. Does that actually work in a
competitive field like opera, You.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
Know, it's I don't know if that's a good question.
I don't know if it actually works. I just I
feel like karma has always brought it back to me,
and so in some strange way it has worked.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Well, you're there, I guess. But you did get slammed
at the time at CAD if you got dropped the
foundation that was supporting you.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
And I had I had done. I had done one
year there and then it was a successful year, and
I knew what the feeling was at the end of it.
I felt, I felt, I felt like I had achieved
so much. And because of that, I was like, no,
I need Ammy Tied to feel this. I want my
I want them to hit the same opportunity. And so
(18:49):
by sending them, I just thought, you know what if
they can get to the same feeling, they can they
too can chase down the stream. And of course, you know,
much to the dismay of a lot of people, and
they said, why did you do this? This career is
about sacrifice. You have to do it on your own
news say no, this is my time to shine. I said,
(19:10):
but what if we all shine at the same time,
And I said, it would be quite nice if we
all do it, or at least have the opportunity. You
wouldn't You don't know someone's potential unless you give them
that chance. We can't sit back and say, well, Pine
was the only one who ever became a star, and
say well, we don't know that because I was the
(19:30):
only one.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
They ever had the opportunity to do it.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
Now, if we gave us all the same opportunity and
only three of us did it, we could say wow,
at least we all tried. These three ended up on
the big stage, but we all had an equal opportunity
at it. That's how I saw it.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
At least I can understand how they would be puzzled
by that. But I hope they get it because it's
a lovely idea.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
Yeah, now now it's become Now there's so many there's
so much support for budding opera singers that we have.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
So many out here now and doing very very well.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
And I thought, look at that, if we could have
done that for the start, would would be wed be
ahead of the game.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
That's the thing I guess with a new crop of
singers coming up all the time, do you ever wonder
how long your career is going to last or do
you think that there's always going to be a demand
for tenas of your caliber.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
Absolutely, and I've always been I've always been realistic about that,
that it's that someone bigger, someone better, is going to
come and take over. And I've accepted that right from
the start, and knowing that there's going to be I
hopefully there's there's going to be another Kiwi, another Polynesian
singer and the you know that's going to rise up
(20:39):
and be better than I am. And I think that's
a beautiful thought accepting that because a lot of thingers.
Of course, an ego is a huge thing to have
and say I will be the best and noted down
in history as the best, whereas not for me, I
don't need to be the best. I just want to
be remembered, that's all. And it's okay that it's someone
(20:59):
who's going to be better than I I will ever be.
That's fantastic. And to know I would love for that
person to say I did this because I saw Penne
do it and inspired me to become better, and I'd
be like, yes, that's all I need.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
You can be the best.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
That's great, that's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
I just hope that you can handle the pace because
opera is physically demanding, isn't It's hard on your health,
it's hard on your energy, it's hard on your sleep.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Yeah, so on the on the sleep for sure, yeah yeah,
And so I what do.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
You have to do as a as an opera singer
to just guard yourself trying.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
To take is always trust. Just trust your inner circle,
the people who know you so well, because everyone's going
to be judging you, and so you need this in
a circle, your coaches, your teachers to say, wow, we
need to go back to the drawing board, like like
a sports athlete.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
You know you can.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
You have to go back to the coach and say,
let's work on this punch again, let's work on this
sprinting technique again. Because everybody is going to get their
idea and say you shouldn't be singing this. Your voice
still be doing this, And you think, oh, okay, so.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
There's still there's there's still operas and things that you
don't feel ready to sing.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Do you feel absolutely there's a huge bunch and everyone's
going to keep pushing you towards these things because they
want to hear your voice do it, but you shouldn't
be doing it.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
Well.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
It sounds like you're you're treating the gift that you
have very wisely good steward of your energy and talent.
So we look forward to a very long and wonderful
career creating beautiful, beautiful music. And you've chosen some music again,
it's a surprise. What are we going to listen to
as we're going out?
Speaker 4 (22:36):
This is the line of Richie all night long.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
This was This was on the list of if I
had to choose a sounds to take to an island,
this is one. I don't know why, but it always
makes me feel good. So I'm like, this is the one.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Okay, Well, that sounds fantastic. It's been lovely talking to you.
You've done so well for.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
And fast, for so fast.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
This is real life. I'm John Cown.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
I've been talking to Penny Party and I've looked forward
to being with you again next Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Everyone screen, Yeah, everyone.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Scream good
Speaker 1 (23:58):
For more from News Talks at b Listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
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You're listening to a podcast from News Talk SEDB. Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio,
Real Conversation, Real Connection, It's Real Life with John Cowen
on News Talk s EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
GOODA, Welcome to real Life. I'm John cown Tonight.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
My guest has been described as one of the best
tenors of his generation. He's part of the hit crossover
classical group Solo Meo and he's gone on to sing
in some of the most famous opera houses in the
world as recordings international hits, and he recently he got
a top award from the French government for promoting French culture.
So welcome PENNI parte, Welcome malow. I believe it's more
(01:04):
more formal to go as a molol.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Yes, what I've done?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I tell us what have you been doing? Just lightly?
What's on your diary at the moment?
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Well, this this month has been has been quite stacked.
But this is kind of a weird thing to say,
because every other month has been stacked as well. But
the main thing I had been doing was I was
doing an opera in Zurich. Yes, and between the shows,
between the eight shows, I had been doing a concert
between every single show, so between Dorte Mount, the Spaden
(01:39):
in Paris with the philar Money in Paris and over
in Finland with the finished opera. So it's been a
whole bunch of stuff finally coming to an end so
I can have a summer break.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
You're you're going to actually get a break because I
haven't got some shows coming up in Italy or that's a.
Speaker 5 (01:58):
Good question, so I will be hitting off to Italy,
but at least you get this tiny little break before that.
And I, uh, you know, a lot of the time
it's my fault. I keep saying yes to everything.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
I think.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Being from New Zealand, you're kind of like I got
to seize the opportunity, you know, as a Kiwi, as
someone I got to take all the opportunities or ask
the Europeans are going to take it off, okay, And
then you end up filling up your calendar and you're like, oh,
I should have had a break.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Now now you've had a home and summer home in
South Auckland. Where's home for you?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Now?
Speaker 5 (02:28):
Home now is in there's in Paris, France. So here's
the base. It's been here for about three years now
before this was San Francisco, but now that's the base,
is the beautiful city of love here in Paris and.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Feeling okay for you if you feel like this is
a place that you know you can resonate with, you
enjoy it.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Do you know what?
Speaker 5 (02:48):
There's a lot, there's a lot that we connect to
with the French, so surprisingly, and there is quite a
big Simon community in the south, much to my surprise,
a lot of someone's who.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Are born here.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Yeah, and so the you know, they're here playing rugby.
So there's a huge community of Someone's and a huge
community of Kiwis. I mean, I love are the same music,
rugby and sports and everything. So we've got a We've
got a fantastic connection here.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, oh that's great.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Now.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Just just today I watched that beautiful movie of your
journey and your your brother AMMATAI called Tendor. My name
is Party, and it's a wonderful movie. I'd have felt
a bit odd seeing yourself on the screen.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
It still does, it still doesn't.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
And then we just saw the screening in Paris this
week and in Berlin, and both times I thought I
would be used, I will be used to this because
I've seen it now four or five times, but still
I got emotional watching it, which is a weird thing
to sing it again, He's emotional over myself.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
That's kind of strange.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Actually, part of it is you watching videos of yourself
on the movie, so you're actually watching yourself watching yourself.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Exception type stuff. Now, now we're falling in the matrix here, But.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
I look, there's of course a lot of beautiful music,
but it's also a peak into your world, worlds that
I don't know anything about, the world of opera, and
also the world of samboa and and and a big
theme of course is family. Family just comes across is
such a powerful thing and a big motivation, and it's
it's sort of wired up your psychology in the way
(04:34):
that you do things, hasn't it.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Yeah, it has.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
And and what's made it even more tough is that
even though family is the it's the root of it all,
and it's what's it's the motivation, it's also become the
thing that you miss the most in the sense that
it's such a solitary job. And you can see this
in the film that you're so alone all the time,
and so the irony are saying this you know, I'm
(04:57):
doing this for my family. My family are not here.
It's such a it's such a tough spot to be
And then so I always care when I consider family
as well, consider my nuclear family of course, but also
I considered the New Zealand. You know, I considered he's
here in my family. Any key, we I come across,
I say, hey, you know you're you're my Fano man,
(05:18):
you're my brother and and and the Pacific. So it's yeah,
it's a tough it's a tough, tough road to be on,
but it's full.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Then tell me a bit about your mum and dad.
I mean, I feel like I know them after seeing
the movie. Introduce them to the audience.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
There's such they're such lovely. You know, My my parents
were such hard workers, but whose periods weren't, you know,
everyone's parents were such hard workers to try to provide
as much as they can for their kids. My mom
was very soft handed with us, because my dad was
very hard handed with us, but in a sense that
he you know, he was a young man trying to
(05:56):
figure out what to do and how to raise his kids,
and he was very strict on bringing us up. But
he wanted us to I remember everything. He would always
say was you know you to be I hope you.
I just want you to be someone who's strong on
their own feet.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
That you don't need me anymore. And that's kind of
nice thing to say, and at the same time it's
the same time a tough thing to.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
Say that I don't need you anymore dead, you know, yeah,
And to finally give him a hug in the last
year and say I will always need you, but you
know this now I'm here for you.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
It's a beautiful thing to say. You know, I love
them both completely.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
They're such hard workers, but I don't think they ever
had said that they're very dead, that they're proud, not
in a bad way. It's very someone just to say,
you know, keep going, put your head down, stay humble,
and keep going. You know you've always got work to do.
There've never been the tux to give your hug and say, oh, well,
proud of you. You've done the best you can. They've
(06:55):
always said there's always something there.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
I was going to ask you, what's harder singing at
the meet in front of all these opera buffs or
singing on a white sunday in your church with your mama.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Oh John, you know, you know, I think the Aunties
are the most critical people you're ever going to sing in.
They're the ones who they're the most judgmental people, the Aunties,
And you've got to love it. You can see because
they don't hide it on their faces. You see you
see them, you see this scrunched their noses and you're like,
oh no, I screwed up?
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Okay, what do I do?
Speaker 3 (07:32):
That type of discipline is obviously paid off in your
in your life, and that opera singing requires incredible focus
and discipline as well as any skill and talent that
you have. You've got to really kN knuckle in and
do the work. That discipline that you've got in your
family is there. You talk you talk about in the
(07:54):
movie about how hard it was actually the physical discipline
that you got as kids. When you when you're a dad,
are you going to try and get the same results
but differently?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
I think I learned so much from it that if I,
you know, one day, if I ever decided to have kids,
I will know, you know, what's not right from wrong,
But I at least have a different avenue of achieving
the same results. Whereas I feel because of my experience
of life, you know, whereas I feel my parents, especially
(08:28):
my dad, really only had one avenue of achieving this results,
be these results because he never knew anything else. And
by talking about this in the film, it wasn't to
expose him per se. And a lot of people have
come up and said, thank you for talking about this,
because this does happen. I said, no, I wanted to
show this because I wanted him to feel forgiven that
(08:50):
he didn't that he that I have but no resentment
towards him.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Oh, and that's just me.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
I think that's my own personal views that I look
back at it and say, you were a young man,
you didn't know, you thought this was the right way,
so you know, so I have a so much love
for him, and I turned out to be the man
I am.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Because of the well, he should be proud of that,
even if he doesn't say it, he should be proud.
H Now I get the impression that some omens I
think they must be singing in the womb. They're singing
from the earliest days, and it's and the family and
at church, and there's a lot of clips of you
(09:31):
in church and singing like that. You've taken a lot
of samore and your heart overseas as you've traveled around.
Is there anything of that church background that still stays
in your heart too? Do you have a faith in God?
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
I mean that's that's deeply embedded and that's deeply instilled.
Every time I talk to my parents is the first
thing they say. They say, you know, God bless you,
like I hope you hope you're doing your prayers every night,
And I say, yes, I am. Now you've you know,
You've banged that into my head since I was a kid,
like I would never forget it. So it's absolutely part
(10:06):
of who I am. It's faith, religion, it's the dry
the spirits.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Yeah, yeah, well that must be I guess a comfort
when you're so far away from home as well.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Oh yeah, for sure. For sure. Knowing that you know,
knowing that.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
I know there's a guidance there that that's keeping us together,
that's absolutely a comfort, especially when you're all alone if.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
You just joined us.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
My guest tonight is Opera Star Penny Party, and we'll
be talking more about his upbringing and more about his
life out on the road and what it's like to
stand in front of all these tens of thousands of people.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
I'm John Cown. This is real life on news talk
z EDB.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Intelligent interviews with interesting people. It's real life on news
talk z EDBA.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
To the place party Best Virginia.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Gooday, welcome back to real life. I'm talking with opera star.
He's almost a legend. I think how long do you
have to be in a versus to be a legend.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I think he's a.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Legend already, Betty Buddy, And you've chosen a song that
I would was surprised by what you What are we
listening to? Here?
Speaker 4 (11:33):
It is John Denver's Country Road.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Now, if you've seen the film, I actually this is
a part where my brother and I are singing this.
We're singing a very high voice sopanos. This song has
been the song of my entire life. My parents, my
dad would sing this every time at the retirement home,
and it was the first song we learned how to play.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Actually was this one?
Speaker 5 (11:55):
And oh what is it?
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Oh? No, I remember I remember it. Yeah, we'll come
to mine.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
I mean, probably only about five thousand songs trackling around.
You can be excused for forgetting one you mentioned the
retirement home.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
That was interesting.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
You mother and dad were both nurses working in this
retirement home, but also working there were the whole of
your family.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Yes, yes, and it's you know, we dedicated our lives
to this place. And it wasn't only just singing at
this rest home, but we worked in every single aspect
of it. We fed the residents, we helped clean the place,
we washed the dishes, we drove everyone around. My sister
worked in the admin. It was it was absolutely part
(12:47):
of our lives. We knew everybody's histories, where people came from,
the people's siblings, you know every single residence and you know,
I think as children, as kids, this was also a
way we didn't know, but we were subconsciously learning about
loss because sometimes we'll come in and someone is gone.
(13:08):
They say, wow, that person is you know, God has
decided to take that person in and would. In the
beginning it was tough, but after a while we just
accepted it were like, wow, there goes you know, her
piece at peace.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Now onto the next. And it was such an interior
part of life.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Because you were singing so often there as well as
doing thedicious as a family was singing regularly to these people.
You said in the movie that you understood that sometimes
you would be the last thing that people hearing this life.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Yeah, And we didn't even think about it that way
at that time. We just remember I just remember singing
in people's rooms. And this was just the thing that
we decided to do. It wasn't even a programmed. My
dad made the program stuff that we sang every Friday evenings,
but during the weekend because we got bored, my brother
and my cousin, we would grab the guitar and just
(14:03):
go into people's rooms and say, hey, see only like
we're just here to sing a few songs. And then
next day you'll turn up and and they're gone. Would say, okay,
what what happened? Is it?
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Na?
Speaker 4 (14:13):
He went in his sleep like ha.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
And there so the order I got I realized I
was we were the last things you only heard, yeah,
you know, or he went. And it's now it's a
beautiful thought, and now I understand why my parents were,
why my dad did it, and it's yeah, it's such
a moving thought.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yeah, because music does so many different things to people
that can make them feel loving, it can make them moved.
I'm not an opera buff but I went along to
last year to Rigoletto. Your brother was singing the Duke
a Yes, and I was just amazed at how emotional
it was, how moved I felt. I wasn't sure whether
(14:51):
I even liked opera music all that much, but I did.
And but the emotion was the thing that got to me.
And I think this is something that's part of your success.
You understand that you're an emotional singer.
Speaker 5 (15:05):
Yeah, I am, and and I and I mentioned this
clearly also in the in this in this film, is
that I'm led by emotions on stage much so to
the detriment of, you know, of singing. There could be
moments where I really jeopardized the singing for it. But
I think that vulnerability in the singing, that emotional singing
is what people connect to. They're not there to judge
(15:27):
your singings per se. They're there to be moved and
like you there that you were like I don't know why,
but I was. I was moved by it and it
was an a elecquigy that you don't even understand or.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
It was the same thing for me.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
When I saw Boem for the first time, I left
going Why am I so emotional? I have no idea
what they said. I just feel I just feel emotional
because of it.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I was that the first opering you in scene?
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Yes, it was, and I just I remember just crying
at the end. Well, you know, I was trying to.
I was pretending to sneeze because I didn't want to.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
I didn't want my mates.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
I didn't want my mates to see me crying because
I was playing, you know, I was. I was one
of the big rugby boys at the time, and I
just I kept pretending did the sneeze. And they said,
oh you behay fever, and I said, yeah, Oh my god,
what all the dust in the dina?
Speaker 4 (16:14):
What the hell?
Speaker 3 (16:16):
The link between rugby and music at Aarreara College, that
was a fascinating thing.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
I you know, what a great move. And now that
I think about it, it was such a good connection,
you know, to.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Tell people what we're talking about here.
Speaker 5 (16:31):
Ah. Yes, when in my high school and out did
the college back in the day, they needed boys for
the for the production h Miss Pinafore that they were
doing at the time, and the music teacher went to
the first fifteen and said, look, we're looking for some
lads and then the coach said, you know what, I'll
bring the entire first fifteen. And this was a great
(16:52):
move to so because they wanted to bridge the gap
between being a choir boy and a and a school jock.
So yeah, and it worked. This was it brought out
the sensitivity and all these boys and now you can
imagine the whole first half of the whole front row was.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
Up there singing.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
We had one rugby game where we actually sang a
choir song on the field and that and the crowd
was kind of they were kind of giggling and rightly
so exid what the hell are they doing?
Speaker 4 (17:23):
And then we turned around and destroyed them and it was.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
It was they weren't giggling. Then.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Yeah. One of the things I didn't understand from the movie,
maybe you can unpack it a bit more, is that
you pushed three people towards Cardiff and you had the
opportunity of going yourself, and you thought it was more
important than they went. Then you went, and there was
(17:52):
a sense of you're doing it for them. In fact,
a lot of the times through the movie, you're doing
things for your family, for New Zealand, for Samoa, for
your mates. That selflessness. Does that actually work in a
competitive field like opera, You.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
Know, it's I don't know if that's a good question.
I don't know if it actually works. I just I
feel like karma has always brought it back to me,
and so in some strange way it has worked.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Well, you're there, I guess. But you did get slammed
at the time at CAD if you got dropped the
foundation that was supporting you.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
And I had I had done. I had done one
year there and then it was a successful year, and
I knew what the feeling was at the end of it.
I felt, I felt, I felt like I had achieved
so much. And because of that, I was like, no,
I need Ammy Tied to feel this. I want my
I want them to hit the same opportunity. And so
(18:49):
by sending them, I just thought, you know what if
they can get to the same feeling, they can they
too can chase down the stream. And of course, you know,
much to the dismay of a lot of people, and
they said, why did you do this? This career is
about sacrifice. You have to do it on your own
news say no, this is my time to shine. I said,
(19:10):
but what if we all shine at the same time,
And I said, it would be quite nice if we
all do it, or at least have the opportunity. You
wouldn't You don't know someone's potential unless you give them
that chance. We can't sit back and say, well, Pine
was the only one who ever became a star, and
say well, we don't know that because I was the
(19:30):
only one.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
They ever had the opportunity to do it.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
Now, if we gave us all the same opportunity and
only three of us did it, we could say wow,
at least we all tried. These three ended up on
the big stage, but we all had an equal opportunity
at it. That's how I saw it.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
At least I can understand how they would be puzzled
by that. But I hope they get it because it's
a lovely idea.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
Yeah, now now it's become Now there's so many there's
so much support for budding opera singers that we have.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
So many out here now and doing very very well.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
And I thought, look at that, if we could have
done that for the start, would would be wed be
ahead of the game.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
That's the thing I guess with a new crop of
singers coming up all the time, do you ever wonder
how long your career is going to last or do
you think that there's always going to be a demand
for tenas of your caliber.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
Absolutely, and I've always been I've always been realistic about that,
that it's that someone bigger, someone better, is going to
come and take over. And I've accepted that right from
the start, and knowing that there's going to be I
hopefully there's there's going to be another Kiwi, another Polynesian
singer and the you know that's going to rise up
(20:39):
and be better than I am. And I think that's
a beautiful thought accepting that because a lot of thingers.
Of course, an ego is a huge thing to have
and say I will be the best and noted down
in history as the best, whereas not for me, I
don't need to be the best. I just want to
be remembered, that's all. And it's okay that it's someone
(20:59):
who's going to be better than I I will ever be.
That's fantastic. And to know I would love for that
person to say I did this because I saw Penne
do it and inspired me to become better, and I'd
be like, yes, that's all I need.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
You can be the best.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
That's great, that's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
I just hope that you can handle the pace because
opera is physically demanding, isn't It's hard on your health,
it's hard on your energy, it's hard on your sleep.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Yeah, so on the on the sleep for sure, yeah yeah,
And so I what do.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
You have to do as a as an opera singer
to just guard yourself trying.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
To take is always trust. Just trust your inner circle,
the people who know you so well, because everyone's going
to be judging you, and so you need this in
a circle, your coaches, your teachers to say, wow, we
need to go back to the drawing board, like like
a sports athlete.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
You know you can.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
You have to go back to the coach and say,
let's work on this punch again, let's work on this
sprinting technique again. Because everybody is going to get their
idea and say you shouldn't be singing this. Your voice
still be doing this, And you think, oh, okay, so.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
There's still there's there's still operas and things that you
don't feel ready to sing.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Do you feel absolutely there's a huge bunch and everyone's
going to keep pushing you towards these things because they
want to hear your voice do it, but you shouldn't
be doing it.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
Well.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
It sounds like you're you're treating the gift that you
have very wisely good steward of your energy and talent.
So we look forward to a very long and wonderful
career creating beautiful, beautiful music. And you've chosen some music again,
it's a surprise. What are we going to listen to
as we're going out?
Speaker 4 (22:36):
This is the line of Richie all night long.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
This was This was on the list of if I
had to choose a sounds to take to an island,
this is one. I don't know why, but it always
makes me feel good. So I'm like, this is the one.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Okay, Well, that sounds fantastic. It's been lovely talking to you.
You've done so well for.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
And fast, for so fast.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
This is real life. I'm John Cown.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
I've been talking to Penny Party and I've looked forward
to being with you again next Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Everyone screen, Yeah, everyone.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Scream good
Speaker 1 (23:58):
For more from News Talks at b Listen live on
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