Page 44 - IB April 2022

Music Music

COBB SEEKS ‘FREEDOM’

ALL HAIL THE

VUDE QUEEN

LAISA VULAKORO

A matriarch of music, the Queen of Vude, supporter of
many charities, and a diva who comes home and cooks
for her family every night. Laisa Vulakoro has an in-depth
talanoa with Islands Business’ Rowena Singh about her
four decades in the industry.

By Rowena Singh

“I’ve been in this industry for over 40 years and I’m still go-
ing,” says Vulakoro. “I hope to be bringing out some more hits
very soon. I’m working on another album and that’ll be my
17th or 18th album, I can’t even remember that!
“I may be considered a matriarch of music because of these
facts and the longevity!”
Vulakoro began her professional music journey in 1981, at
the Hyatt Regency hotel (now known as the Warwick) on Fiji’s
Coral Coast.
“I was hired by Bill Beddoes for his Nostradamus band to be
the backup singer for Melaia Dimuri, who was the lead singer
then,” says Vulakoro. “I was very fortunate to start my career
in music with a very professional band. And even till today I
have not seen a band to compare with Nostradamus. It was a
10-piece band. I’m always proud of my association with them
– my first experience in music and the band and the profes-
sional music stage.
“Everything I learnt was through my hard work and with the
bands sharing with me,” says Vulakoro. “It was not an easy
walk in the park. It was tough for me being a young girl in a
male-dominated industry to make a name for myself.”

Becoming the Queen of Vude
Vulakoro left the Warwick when she became pregnant with
her first child, Justin.
“That was one of the biggest challenges, being a female
artist in the industry, giving birth and raising a child. Another
challenge is that it affects your relationships with your part-
ners.
“I suppose being in public is not very easy for a man to ac-
cept. Especially when you are a public property, when you are
on stage, there for the consumption of everyone. It’s always
hard for men to take that and that’s what I’ve gone through
in all my relationships. Those are the two biggest challenges -
having babies and having relationships.”
Singing for hotel guests required a big range of Vulakoro,

44 Islands Business, April 2022
44 Islands Business, April 2022