Tony, Christina, Pauly and Phil Fuemana. Photo: Fuemana Family Collection
Before there was OMC and 'How Bizarre', the Fuemana siblings - Phil, Christina, Tony and Pauly - laid down a record that would be dubbed a classic.
Thirty years on, Fuemana's New Urban Polynesian, originally released by Deepgrooves in 1994, is set to be reissued to the world.
It will be out on vinyl for the first time through Melbourne label Gazebo Records on 29 March.
Tony and Christina Fuemana told Music 101 they were proud of the record - and they knew their older brother Phil would have been as well.
Phil, who went on to form the Otara Millionaires Club - later OMC - with producer Alan Jansson, was "the person that instigated the music in the family", Christina said.
Their father was also musical, and played the guitar to them growing up.
However, Phil saw music as a way to rise above their hard upbringing, the siblings said.
"We weren't in a good place when we were kids, so coming out of all that, for Phil, it was about being family, being able to survive the times," Christina said.
"I remember [Phil] talking to me and saying music was that thing that would take us out of poverty, because we didn't really have that much and music was one thing that we had, really, in abundance," Tony said.
New Urban Polynesian will be reissued on 29 March. Photo: Deepgrooves
Phil died in 2005 of a heart attack, and Pauly - who took over OMC in the mid-'90s - died in 2010.
Christina said New Urban Polynesian was Phil's "legacy".
"It's a timeless album and Phil was really ahead of his time... I'm just so proud of him, I just know that he'd be so stoked."
The foundation for the record was laid when a representative from Motown Records came to Tāmaki Makaurau and challenged Phil to "better his music", Tony said.
The oldest Fuemana sibling began working hard on his lyrics and song production and "started to shape the style of music that he wanted to hear".
Phil and Christina Fuemana. Photo: Kane Massey
Proud: An Urban-Pacific Streetsoul Compilation also came out in 1994, featuring the Otara Millionaires Club and Sisters Underground.
The album's promotional tour, organised by Phil, was a "launching pad for many Pacific Island artists", Tony said.
The South Auckland sound that was honed during this time was the basis for much of Aotearoa's music today.
He remembered touring with Pauly in the 1990s and hearing OMC fans refer to 'Fuemana mania'.
"In my heart it was really us four that they were celebrating, not just Paul," he said.
"It was an amazing time and this album reflects that for me."
