Q&A: meet Lepani, the soul singing, League of Legends loving new kid on the block

Fijian born, singer-songwriter Lepani has recently released his new single Breathe and damn, it’s good. His vocals are transcending, honestly out of this world. He makes singing sound so easy the way he effortlessly hits notes and nails trills.

His style is a fusion of pop and contemporary RnB that creates a unique smooth yet smokey sound. He’s got some serious vocal ability and we can’t wait to see what he pops out next.

Breathe is some sort of hypnotic pop track that is so fun to listen to, it’s just so calmingly catchy. It’s the type of song that you can have on repeat for hours. It’s mind-boggling to believe that this song was almost entirely constructed in one single afternoon.

The Auckland based singer’s new single comes less than a year later than his debut track Pocket Full of Love. The mega hit was written and produced by himself and recorded in his home studio. The song, that’s amassed nearly 1.5 million streams on Spotify, has just been nominated for two Pacific Music Awards, Best Pacific Male Artist and Best Pacific Soul/RnB Artist. Well deserved, you go Glenn Coco.

We caught up with Lepani to chat about his new single and how he remains creative in isolation.

Here is an edited snippet of our conversation:

Where did you grow up?

I spent most of my childhood in Rotorua, moved there from Fiji when I was four, and then moved again to Auckland just before I reached High School.

Has music been something that has always been apart of your life?

Music’s definitely been a huge part of my life. Growing up in a singing family makes it really hard to escape music, I even tried to leave it behind me during my early high school days, but it found a way to creep back in.

Is there anyone either on the Aus or NZ scene you’d love to collaborate with right now?

It’s definitely been a dream to collab with Nesian Mystik, I’ve been a huge fan for as long as I can remember. Also Matt Corby is one of my biggest inspirations musically so it would be absolutely incredible to work with him, or even just to sit in a room and absorb all of his musical experience and knowledge.

How’re you finding Isolation, is it still a creative time for you?

Isolation is great, I get to spend as much time as I want working on music and just jamming. I do enjoy performing on stage, but it’s not my favourite part of the job. The only downside is I don’t get to meet up with friends and family outside of my home, but I love the opportunity to stay in my bubble and get carried away.

What’s your isolation routine, if you have one?

Breakfast, workout, music, Lunch, League of Legends, music, workout, League of Legends, Dinner, Netflix, and sleep. I’m absolutely living the dream right now!

Talk to us about your latest single ‘Breathe’, what does it mean to you?

Initially it didn’t mean as much as it does now. When I created it, it was literally just a way to get those emotions off my chest, as most of my songs do. But over time it grows on me, as in I see how far my relationship with my partner has come, and I can’t wait to see how much further we take it.

Did you create this track on your own? Can you give us some insight to your process?

I made Breathe in August last year. It was the week before I went on tour with Stan Walker, and I was so amped I woke up one morning and this Melody stuck in my head. So I hopped on the computer and started making the music. The topic was there, so I just looped a section of the song and started writing my lyrics down. Before I knew it, the song was finished that afternoon, and I sent it to Sony who loved it, and we just started everything from there.

What was it like touring with Stan Walker and performing all over NZ?

It was such an experience. Learning the art of performance, and how the industry works, and even just little tips and tricks to better myself as an artist, from such a legend was amazing! I made so many new friends, and got to see parts of New Zealand I’ve never been to. It was fantastic.

What’s the last gig/concert you went to?

The last concert I went to was Jon Bellion at Powerstation. He’s my biggest inspiration and influence as an artist/Songwriter/Producer. The experience was something else, and I really hope he comes back!

Where’s the first place you hope to play once venues start to re-open?

To be honest, It’s not something I’ve been thinking about. I’ll be happy to play where ever, as long as I get to be back out meeting people, and spending time out of the house I’ll be happy.

Lepani is barely a year into releasing music and he is fast becoming a New Zealand music icon. We’re looking forward to watching him grow as an artist and continue to create great music.

Check out his song below or head to our Work/Study/Chill From Home ✌️playlist to hear more songs like this one.

By Samuel Seedsman.