[Preface: I know loyal readers of All Access Magazine never in a million years would expect to find a pop artist on the cover. But let’s be real about this… there’s other great music out there besides Hard Rock and Metal. And AAM’s credo of “Keeping Local Music Alive” refers to All local music. So, with that in mind, take a couple of minutes and try something completely different. D.B.]
For years I believed that the Next Big Thing in pop music was going to be a Latino star. You know - a good looking male singer who sings fluently in both English and Spanish. Kinda like a younger Ricky Martin. Well, I was wrong. I’m pretty sure the scenario will be the same, but the language will be French. And the star? The star will be twenty-three year old Tahitian-born Heiarii Amaru. That’s Heiarii, pronounced Hey-Ah-Ree, and you better get used to saying it.
In just his first professional year in the business, Heiarii appeared live on the Jerry Lewis MDA 2005 Telethon which was telecast on over 200 TV stations as well as on the Internet. Big deal—so in his first TV appearance only a few million people heard him sing! Then, he reached the Top 5 on Tahitian radio with “Love Is To Set Free,” a track off his CD, and was voted Best Pop Artist of 2005 by All Access Magazine. And he’s just getting started!
This guy is a star in every sense of the word. And man can he sing—in English, French and Spanish! Industry insiders are already calling him “the male Celine Dion” because of his amazingly powerful and controlled vocals.
His music is electronic pop/dance. The songs are sexy, edgy, a little nasty and deal with everything from pure, innocent love (“You Took My Heart Away”) to voyeurism (“You’ll Be Mine At Midnight”). With lyrics like “Gimme Your Love, Gimme Your Love, Gimme Your Hands and Feel Me Up,” Heiarii is certain to win over the hearts and bodies of his fans - from 14 to 40. This is not traditional pop fodder.
Also interesting is the fact that Heiarii’s CD contains one song, “Haunting My Heart” in Spanglish (a mixture of English and Spanish), and another, “Mon Paradis,” sung entirely in French. This is an artist who could really break big on an international level.
One of the many things that impressed me was that Heiarii is professional beyond his years. He has a knack for performing and a personality for communicating with an audience. His vocals are so heartfelt that inevitably, some members of the audience actually cry as he sings his more meaningful ballads. This guy is passion-personified.
All Access Magazine sat down with this pop star in-the-making to find out a little more about him.
