A music legend renowned and respected for recording songs in many Pacific languages has been named the Lifetime Achievement Award winner for the Pacific Music Awards.
George 'Fiji' Veikoso Photo: Supplied
George 'Fiji' Veikoso has been active in the music scene for more than four decades, and is a pioneer in the Fiji and Pacific music fields.
His vocals meld with tunes that fuse genres like classic reggae, hip hop, RnB and jazz, and his songwriting, composing and producing led to international acclaim and fame.
Fiji will be formally awarded the gong as part of the online awards ceremony, screened on Tagata Pasifika at 7pm on 11 December.
The function was forced online by alert level restrictions in Auckland, but will include pre-recorded performances from the 2021 finalists and a tribute to Fiji by Brownhill, his band for New Zealand shows, as well as Wayno and Tomorrow People.
Throughout his career Fiji collaborated with many musical legends including Gladys Knight, Aaron Neville, Beres Hammond, Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley and Inner Circle.
He has shown devotion to the Pacific by helping bring up other artists and encouraging Polynesian unity through the TokoUso movement and fighting against gang violence.
Tomorrow People Photo: supplied
In 1998 he won the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts' Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Male Vocalist of the Year and the public balloting for Favourite Entertainer of the Year.
And he took the first Best Pacific International Artist Award at the 2014 Pacific Music Awards.