International singing sensation Josh Tatofi can’t wait to be part of the sea of red at tomorrow night’s high-stakes Tongan rugby league match.

The Grammy-nominated Hawaiian-born Tongan singer will perform the Tongan national anthem at the Pacific Championship clash between the Kiwis and Tonga at Eden Park.

“Oh, I’m excited - I’m super excited to play this weekend. That’s all I keep thinking about,” he told the Herald.

As well as the national anthem, the 34-year-old - known for hits including ‘Ouana, Storms Never Last and I’m Gonna Love You - will give a 30-minute concert after the game with his band - something that has seen music fans snapping up tickets alongside league fans.

Hawaiian-born Tongan singer Josh Tatofi. Photo / Penny Fuimaono

Tatofi has a huge fan base in New Zealand and around the Pacific region.

The singer grew up in Hawaii and spent his childhood visiting family in the Tongan villages of Vainī and Ma’ufanga.

Last year, his South Pacific tour sold out around the Pacific Islands and Australia as well as Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland.

When Tongans support they go all out. Scenes at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. Photo / Whakaata Maori

As a result, fans who missed out on tickets instead caught his performance at last year’s Pacific Music Awards in South Auckland, where the entire audience took to their feet and security struggled to keep fans back from the stage.

His connection to New Zealand is a close one, Tatofi reveals.

“I have a lot of family in South Auckland and down in Christchurch. I have visited many times.”

Some of Tatofi’s most popular songs are sung in Pacific languages - including Hawaiian, Tongan and Samoan, and he told the Herald he wants to perform a song in te reo Māori in future.

A fan of Aotearoa music since ‘forever’

Tatofi told the Herald his favourite Kiwi artists are R&B duo Adeaze - whose song A Life With You he has covered previously - as well as Aaradhna, Stan Walker and Wellington band Fat Freddy’s Drop.

“I’ve been a fan of the musicians out of Aotearoa for forever,” he said.

Fellow Pacific artist, rapper Savage will also perform, at half-time and between the main match and the first game between the Kiwi Ferns and the Australian Jillaroos.

Savage was a member of South Auckland 1990s/early 2000s hip hop group Deceptikonz and the first Kiwi hip hop artist to have a commercial single achieve platinum status in the US.

Samoan-Kiwi rapper Savage started his career as a member of South Auckland hip hop group Deceptikonz.

Tatofi is currently recording a new album in San Francisco and Nashville, planned for release early next year.

Asked if recording in Nashville, the home of country music, indicated he would be embracing a country sound in his new music, he spoke of childhood memories planting taro and sweet potatoes with his grandfather in the plantation - and the songs they used to sing.

“I’ve been doing a lot of country music - but [with] island vibes, of course,” he said.

Fans can look forward to elements of reggae, country and R&B - and a few love songs in the mix, he said.

“I feel like the South Pacific has deemed me a love song singer,” he laughed. “So you can definitely expect to hear a lot of love songs coming your way.”

Tatofi said he was proud to be a son of the South Pacific and acknowledged the strong support shown by the Tongan community.

“Seeing my family move from Tonga to Nu’u Sila (New Zealand) to Hawaii gives me motivation.

“I find motivation in different parts of life: sometimes struggle, sometimes happiness - and that’s what keeps me going daily.”

Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald’s Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and won the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.