'Telesā' the song
Lindah Lepou is a multidisciplinary artist whose work has been displayed around the world. Her recent work of art on display for the public to be moved by was her song “Telesā” that was the theme music of the series “Teine Sā”.
Lindah has long made her mark as a Pacific artist across many genres - as a soul singer, award winning designer and multimedia artist. Her many ventures in life have taken her from the runways of Australia and the Pacific to the stages of Europe, but at her heart will always be her Samoan gafa and lineage, which has shown itself in her many stories on stage, sound and screen.
The song Telesā captured audiences to the extent that people started tweeting how they were just listening repeatedly to the opening titles of the Teine Sā series so they could play Lindah’s song. Luckily for listeners everywhere “Telesā” is now available on all streaming platforms including Spotify and can be downloaded or streamed in to your playlists!
We had the chance to speak to Lindah about her art and the inspiration behind ‘Telesā’, heres what she had to say:
What was the inspiration behind the song Telesā?
The ‘Telesā’ song was created in 2012 (almost a decade ago) to launch my three-part multidisciplinary, “AITU Series” that celebrates and communicates with three specific AITU I am directly linked to through my own ancient Samoan gafa (lineage), using modern palagi tools. I recorded this song in London, UK with the love and support of Robert O’Brien, who helped me record what I was hearing in my vision by engaging our Samoan soprano, Aivale Cole to compose within a traditional ‘Palagi’ classical discipline while using her haunting Samoan vocal from deeper layers of emotion while still maintaining an untainted rawness and fluidity in its simplicity.
Many people on Twitter are saying they have your music on repeat after hearing it in Teine Sā. How important do you feel music is in telling our Pacific stories?
Anyone who knows me knows that everything I’ve created as a multidimensional artist is anchored in my own unique pacific (and palagi) gafa. It is important to tell our own PACIFIC stories with our ancient pacific narrative (pre-colonization) as it was carried through our oral traditions and art practices, instead of having post-colonial donkeys who have no idea who they are reimagining our pacific identity in the wrong way.
The stories of the Teine Sā series are deep and intense, to which the music fits perfectly. When putting together this song what feeling were you hoping to invoke from the audience?
My main intention is to stay true to my own relationship and fa’aaloalo (respect) for my own AITU loved ones who’ve continued to support and protect me from the vā (invisible). If anyone is inspired to reconnect and/or embrace their own unique identity by looking into their own gafa (whakapapa/heritage) for healing, upliftment, and comfort, then I’m here for it because that’s what it does for me.