NIU GOLD MOUNTAIN 2024: Fruits in the Diaspora
This article series is a collaboration between Rat World and All My Friends - a collective based in Tāmaki Makaurau that supports creative projects from queer and POC communities.
Responding to the experiences of contemporary migrant narratives in Aotearoa, Niu Gold Mountain is a multimedia exhibition that explores the present day aspirations of this generation's Asian and Pasifika artists.
Click here to watch the Fruits in the Diaspora video
The migrant diaspora is often defined by the narrative of searching for a “better life”. It’s an experience shared by Asian and Pasifika migrants in Aotearoa. In a newly released music video, singer-songwriters Spdrtwnbby and Romiin have collaborated to explore their diasporic experiences.
It’s a cold night in Tāmaki Makaurau and I’m headed to meet up with the stars of the project. As I walk through the city to meet the creatives, Spdrtwnbby is at the elevator waiting to take me up to the All My Friends studio. The rest of the creative team - Romiin, Petone and Havea from Vain Creative are chilling in the corner and head over to introduce themselves.
We all grab a chair and sit in a circle, ready for me to take the lead of this conversation. After realising how many things we all have in common, in sync head nods and hyena cackles fill the studio as we talk about our shared experiences growing up, the love for our communities and what this project means to them.
The song ‘Fruits in the Diaspora’, written by Nia Vavao known as Spdrtwnbby and Ron Manalili known as Romiin, is about their personal experiences growing up in Aotearoa as children of the diaspora, the speed of everything and trying to keep up with it. The alternate-pop track was filmed in locations where they grew up - Avondale, Henderson and Glen Eden. The two talk about the fact that Aotearoa is known as the land of Milk and Honey for many migrants, reflecting on the burnout that often accompanies this journey: “The fact [that] we came here for a better life but you’re burnt out from trying to survive, it makes you think what’s actually better about this?”, Spdrtwnbby says as she contemplates these ideas through the song.
The creative scene in Tāmaki Makaurau is small and almost every Pacific creative knows each other. Spdrtwnbby and I first met through mutual friends and, like most people, kept in touch via Instagram. The Samoan singer-songwriter has been making music for six years and shares how her journey started from the encouragement and support from her teachers: “They [teachers] would ask me to get up and sing a solo. I thought surely I’m good at this and ever since then, I stuck with it.”
Just like Spdrtwnbby, Romiin found encouragement through his family. He was introduced to music through his parents who loved to sing and his Uncle who is a guitarist. The Filipino singer-songwriter shares how karaoke is like a religion to everyone from the Philippines, (that or basketball) so music came naturally to him.
The two both began their music journeys growing up in West Auckland - a clear place of significance for them. In the music video, the iconic 828 spider appears, where Spdrtwnbby and Romiin are having fun in front of it, showing how proud they are to be from West Auckland - an ode to their community. They hadn’t worked with each other before but could connect with where they grew up and having parents who both migrated to Aotearoa.
The song offers a contemporary perspective on the concept of the land of Milk and honey - a place of new opportunities. Rather than looking at experiences from older generations, the two provide their own perspective navigating their journeys in the present. “I wanted to focus more on the joy side of it.” Romiin explains. “I guess just keeping the dense subject more lighthearted because it can go pretty deep.”
Growing up in Wellington, Pacific creatives Havea Latu and Petone Groom met through university where they eventually created Vain Creative, a group of Pasifika designers and creatives. Petone shares his thoughts on pursuing art as part of the diaspora: “We didn’t see any other studios who were Pacific so we wanted to create a space that represented us and our community.” The two creatives worked on the videography for the project and helped bring the song to life. Havea and Petone typically work on a lot of campaigns for organisations so being part of this project was refreshing: “It felt natural working with Spdrtwnbby, Romiin and All My Friends. The process was open and collaborative which was nice.” Havea says.
‘Fruits in the Diaspora’ opens up with Spdrtwnbby in a cafe working. Different shots show people coming in and out of the cafe. She opens the song with “I think that I’m going a little crazy, think that I just need a little rest” as she decorates a cake with multiple clocks around her. The scene emphasises the concept of working to survive and needing to let go of hustle culture as Spdrtwnbby continues to sing, “The thoughts in my head, telling me what to do next.”
Even though the topic is a bit heavy, the song feels lighthearted and upbeat to show the nuanced experiences that the younger generation go through. “I hope that conversations of burnout are talked about and normalised amongst friend groups… To let each other know when you’re not okay or to try and communicate that with your parents.” Spdrtwnbby says. We all agree and share our own stories of learning to get over that barrier of opening up and being honest about our feelings, something many Asian and Pacific people may relate to: “I hope this song brings people to be more present with our communities.” Spdrtwnbby says.
The music video continues with Romiin in the cafe who grabs a coffee and heads back home. He’s seen in his room reflecting on how he used to wish someone would come and save him. Memories come flooding back about the days of hanging out with his friends and not worrying about time: “We were living our best lives. Now that everyones grown…I gotta vision to defend.” Romiin shares his dream of pursuing music full-time, to get to that pinnacle of creative freedom whilst being financially stable: “My parents moved over for more opportunities for my siblings and I. For Asian and Pacific people, migrating over is one of the biggest steps you can take to break generational cycles.”
Romiin, Spdrtwnbby, Havea and Petone are all on their own paths as they navigate what their personal creative journeys look like. For Spdrtwnbby, putting herself in spaces that allow her to get out of her comfort zone and meet new people has opened up new opportunities. Petone recently moved to Tāmaki Makaurau to pursue new ventures in the arts world: “I’ve been doing different jobs here and there like design, photography and creating content for other people which has been really cool.” As for Havea who is based in Poneke, the videographer continues to work with other creatives who align with him such as Shifting Centre, an arts collective who interweave street and contemporary dance. Opportunities like Niu Gold Mountain allowed Romiin to work with other creatives he hadn’t worked with before and explore new genres: “It was cool because we really pushed ourselves creatively to see what we could come up with within the period of time we were given.”
Havea did a great job of capturing the essence of West Auckland in a creative and fun way. My personal highlights of the video are Romiin and Spdrtwnbby in front of the 828 spider and the cutouts of different people who feature members of All My Friends and Vain Creative. The visuals help tie in the song nicely and show us that hard topics like burnout and migration don't need to be shown in a sad way. It’s sharing a different perspective and showing how we can keep moving forward as a generation - by being authentically true to yourself and your story. If it’s one thing I’ve learned about the next generation of artists, it’s that they’re not afraid to explore and share their own worldview, unapologetically.
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This piece is presented as part of a partnership with All My Friends, with the cost of writer
fees supported by them through the Creative New Zealand x Foundation North Asian Artists
Fund.