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Tahitian Born Singer/Dancer HEIARII Gets Ready To Release Two EP's 'Back To The Island' and 'Amazing Grace' After Noteworthy Success With Cutting Edge Debut Album 'Dance!' 2006 was a hectic year for Tahitian-born pop singer Heiarii (pronounced Hey-ah-ree), but not nearly as hectic as 2007 is likely to be! Before getting his new pop material ready for the follow up to his debut album Dance! , Heiarii will spend lots of time in the recording studio preparing for the releases of two EPs: Back to the Island , a recording of Polynesian and French songs and Amazing Grace , an EP filled with positive, inspirational music. Both EPs will be released in mid-April. Born and raised in Tahiti, Heiarii has been singing traditional Tahitian songs all his life in the native Polynesian and French languages. "I thought it was time to let people know that I will never forget my roots, "Heiarii said, "so the songs I decided to record are really island favorites. They're very danceable and upbeat, like 'Ha'a Hula,'and 'Chanter Cette Melodie". For his set of inspirational music, Heiarii chose some of his all-time favorites like "You Raise Me Up," "Amazing Grace" (which he performs a capella in English and Polynesian), and the Celine Dion classic, "The Power of Love" in which Heiarii holds a note for an amazing 20 seconds! "I wanted to choose songs that I love to sing and that would inspire others. These are all positive message songs that I sing at churches every Sunday." Heiarii will soon be announcing a schedule of summer festival appearances and then it's back to the studio to finish up his Christmas Cool CD.
Heiarii Asked To Come Back To Jerry Lewis Telethon Two Years In A Row! * * * Tahitian Born Singer/Dancer Delivers a Cutting Edge After making his solo national television debut last year, dance artist Heiarii was asked to come back to perform on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon! The annual telethon will be on Monday, September 4th and Heiarii will perform at 1:45am. First broadcast over Labor Day weekend in 1966 by just one TV station in New York City, the unique event starring popular comedian Jerry Lewis quickly caught the public's attention - and raised more than $1 million. Heiarii was born in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, where he taught himself the English language and eventually began singing at the age of six. It didn't take him long to make a career decision and by the time he turned 15 he was singing and dancing his way into the Winners' Circle at every major competition he could enter. Heiarii came out the winner in Tahiti's Search for Stars Contest, Original French Song Contest, and was voted Tahiti's Most Promising Singer and Best Male Vocalist in Hawaii. Whether he sang in English or French, Heiarii's angelic voice touched people everywhere. Heiarii sang his hit "You Took My Heart Away" to 400+ people in attendance at a TAXI road rally and left them in tears with his strong performance. Kenny Kerner (legendary producer for KISS, Gladys Knight, Jose Feliciano and Badfinger) teamed with British producer/engineer Cameron Leonard-Schroff to deliver Heiarii's contemporary, cutting-edge electronic pop-dance CD filled with creative beats, pounding rhythms and soaring melodies. In addition to a killer cover of the KISS classic, "I Was Made For Loving You," Dance! boasts four ballads that truly showcase this artist's amazing voice: "You Took My Heart Away," "Love Is To Set Free," "Haunting My Heart," and "Mon Paradis" a song about his native Tahiti sung in French.
Hollywood-Allure Recording Artist Heiarii To Perform At Miss World Tahiti Nui Contest * * * Heiarii Recently Signed With Sharon Kemp Talent Agency * * * Tahitian Born Singer/Dancer Delivers a Cutting Edge For the second year in a row, Allure recording artist Heiarii has been invited to perform at the Annual Miss World Tahiti Nui Contest being held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Arue, Tahiti, on July 7th and 8th. Heiarii will perform three songs each night—in English, French and Polynesian-- and will be accompanied by dancers. He is the only singer performing at the event. Heiarii also recently signed with the Sharon Kemp Talent Agency of Beverly Hills for representation in the field of television commercials. “To me, acting in a commercial is the same as acting in a movie or performing on stage,” Heiarii said, “You have to be believable and entertaining in everything you do.”
Heiarii Signs with Kemp Talent Agency Hollywood-Allure recording artist Heiarii has signed with the Sharon Kemp Talent Agency of Beverly Hills for representation in the field of television commercials. “To me, acting in a commercial is the same as acting in a movie or performing on stage,” Heiarii said, “You have to be believable and entertaining in everything you do.” Heiarii's first American CD Dance! received rave reviews and the artist was recently voted Best Pop Artist of 2005 by All Access Magazine. Heiarii is currently in the studio working on two new CDs: His first Christmas CD called Christmas Cool and a CD of traditional Polynesian songs he learned while growing up in his native Tahiti. Heiarii was born in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, where he taught himself the English language and eventually began singing at the age of six. It didn't take him long to make a career decision and by the time he turned 15 he was singing and dancing his way into the Winners' Circle at every major competition he could enter. Heiarii came out the winner in Tahiti's Search for Stars Contest, Original French Song Contest, and was voted Tahiti's Most Promising Singer and Best Male Vocalist in Hawaii. Whether he sang in English or French, Heiarii's angelic voice touched people everywhere. Heiarii sang his hit "You Took My Heart Away" to 400+ people in attendance at a TAXI road rally and left them in tears with his strong performance. Kenny Kerner (legendary producer for KISS, Gladys Knight, Jose Feliciano and Badfinger) teamed with British producer/engineer Cameron Leonard-Schroff to deliver Heiarii's contemporary, cutting-edge electronic pop-dance CD filled with creative beats, pounding rhythms and soaring melodies. In addition to a killer cover of the KISS classic, "I Was Made For Loving You," Dance! boasts four ballads that truly showcase this artist's amazing voice: "You Took My Heart Away," "Love Is To Set Free," "Haunting My Heart," and "Mon Paradis" a song about his native Tahiti sung in French.
HEIARII Graces the Cover of 'All Access Magazine' Out on Stands Now! * * * Tahitian Born Singer/Dancer Delivers a Cutting Edge After winning last year for "Best Pop Artist of 2005" by All Access Magazine , Los Angeles-based Tahitian Pop singing sensation Heiarii graces the cover of the Los Angeles-based local magazine - out on stands now. Dubbed "The Next Big Thing in Pop," by All Access Magazine journalist Dan Boyd - Boyd also goes on to call Heiarii (pronounced Hey-Ah-Ree) "the male Celine Dion." The magazine is widely known for being dedicated to promoting live music and local L.A. artists. Heiarii was born in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, where he taught himself the English language and eventually began singing at the age of six. It didn't take him long to make a career decision and by the time he turned 15 he was singing and dancing his way into the Winners' Circle at every major competition he could enter. Heiarii came out the winner in Tahiti's Search for Stars Contest, Original French Song Contest, and was voted Tahiti's Most Promising Singer and Best Male Vocalist in Hawaii. Whether he sang in English or French, Heiarii's angelic voice touched people everywhere. Heiarii sang his hit "You Took My Heart Away" to 400+ people in attendance at the TAXI road rally last Friday and left them in tears with his strong performance. Kenny Kerner (legendary producer for KISS, Gladys Knight, Jose Feliciano and Badfinger) teamed with British producer/engineer Cameron Leonard-Schroff to deliver Heiarii's contemporary, cutting-edge electronic pop-dance CD filled with creative beats, pounding rhythms and soaring melodies. In addition to a killer cover of the KISS classic, "I Was Made For Loving You," Dance! boasts four ballads that truly showcase this artist's amazing voice: "You Took My Heart Away," "Love Is To Set Free," "Haunting My Heart," and "Mon Paradis" a song about his native Tahiti sung in French.
Tahitian Born Indie Pop/Dance Artist These are exciting, liberating times for multi-talented singer, songwriter and performer Heiarii ( www.heiariidance.com ). As the follow up to his Top 5 hit, “Love Is To Set Free,” the powerful, soul-wrenching ballad “You Took My Heart Away,” from Dance! , his critically acclaimed indie debut on Allure Records, is being promoted to pop radio stations in Sweden, Denmark, as well as his homeland of Tahiti—but he's glad he's not on the so-called island paradise to hear it. Three years ago, after a lifetime of having to deny, repress and cover his true sexual identity in a native culture highly intolerant of homosexuality, the 20-year-old Heiarii left the tropical island in the South Pacific and moved to Los Angeles. By the time he was 15, he was singing and dancing his way into the Winner's Circle at every major competition he could enter. His soaring, angelic voice—which has been known to make people in the audience sob on numerous occasions—led him to win Tahiti's Search for Stars Contest. He also won the Original French Song Contest and was voted Tahiti's Most Promising Singer and Best Male Vocalist in Hawaii. All of these achievements, however, were undercut by the relentless teasing by classmates, the fear of coming out to his parents and faking dates with girls to appease them, and “covering his gayness” at every turn. Ultimately, though, he took matters into his own hands, hopped to the mainland United States and chose not to look back. “Growing up in Tahiti was really hard for me,” Heiarii says. “I realized I was gay when I was 11 or 12 and knew I couldn't tell anyone or show it because it's a place where both kids and adults look at you through the corner of their eye and judge you as unworthy to be part of their scene. If people know you're gay there, you're considered either an outcast with a disease or, worse, they make you dress up as a woman. Throughout the history of Tahiti, for gay men to be respected, they had to ‘become' a woman and serve the king and queen. If I had told anyone I was gay, they'd tell me where to get a boob job to ‘complete myself.' As early as he can recall, Heiarri always found salvation through singing, songwriting and entertaining big crowds. “With all that social baggage, and because I was a pretty boy and somewhat effeminate, it was nearly impossible for me to make friends, so I felt all alone at school,” he adds. “I kept wondering, am I sick? Maybe I can fight it. A lot of kids like me go crazy or have suicidal thoughts, but I always had music. Writing about my feelings was the only way I could somewhat be true to myself, and I could also hide my sexuality behind ballads that sounded like they were about girls. But even with that, kids made fun of me because of my high voice and looks. It was like, the more butch you were, the more respect you got.” Heiarii's quest to find a place in the world where he could be accepted for who he really is led him to a realm where his striking charisma and musical talent could thrive. He was shocked at first at the casual unfriendliness of folks on the street in Los Angeles, but found a wonderfully accepting community in the “Gayborhood” of West Hollywood, where he began his new life. Enrolling at in the Vocal Institute of Technology at Hollywood's Musicians Institute, his incredible range of talents was discovered and developed by Kenny Kerner, the head of the school's music business program and a legendary producer whose credits include KISS, Gladys Knight, Jose Feliciano and Badfinger. Kerner teamed with British producer/engineer Cameron Leonard-Schroff to deliver a contemporary, cutting edge electronic pop dance CD filled with creative beats, pounding rhythms and soaring melodies. “Like the title Dance! suggests, this CD just makes you want to get up and move,” says Heiarii. “It's edgy, it's sensuous, it's romantic!” Those are just three of the potential adjectives fans use to describe the artist's electrifying live performances. His national debut on the 2005 MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon (taped at the Beverly Hilton) was so successful that he has already been asked back for next year. But the truer, sexual side of Heiarii's personality came out in full force in a live performance for some 200 students at The Passage, a club sponsored by the Musicians Institute. Singing and grooving to tracks from Dance! with the help of two female dancers, he engaged them in some serious tongue kissing and ran his hands all over their bodies and thighs (as they stroked his). Kerner says, “It was as sexual as you can make it without taking your clothes off!” The audience's response? Some folks were initially shocked, but in a good way—by the end of the show, the room was giving Heiarii a standing ovation!” The singer's 2006 will be devoted to playing more and more gigs—including clubs, liberal churches, corporate and festival performances-- promoting his Dance! album and further developing his chops as a singer/songwriter who can whip up feisty dance tunes but whose emotional bread and butter is ballads that can rip even the most skeptical listener's heart out. His creative evolution will surely be driven by a very emotional decision he made recently—to come out to his mother and (straight) younger sister just this past December. “I just couldn't take the lying anymore, I was going crazy,” Heiarii says, “so I just told them, this is who I am, I love you and I really want you in my life. But except for visits maybe at Christmas, I don't want to be back in Tahiti. It's so exciting and liberating to finally be in a place where I can be myself. Everything's opening up for me in my career, and I don't have to hide anything or fear what people are going to think about me. Before I told my mom, I can't tell you how many times I wanted to give up on myself. It wasn't really because I worried what the world would think, but what my family would say. “I'm someone with a lot of feelings and a lot of love, and I don't want to hurt anyone,” he adds. “It hit me that I had to stop hurting myself as well and that the acceptance of my sexual orientation started here. You know how it feels to have a really heavy bag on your back, and the headache that would give you if you carried it for years and years? That's what it felt like, and telling the truth was like putting it down and resting for the first time in my life.” As Heiarii's star ascends, he truly hopes to become a source of inspiration for other kids who are going through the same sense of self-oppression that he endured for so long. “I believe that my music and performances will be a vehicle through which I can change people's lives,” he says. “I want to spread the word to parents that they have to learn to accept their kids for who they are, to understand that it's something they cannot change. “One of the problems in Tahiti is that there's a lack of understanding about what being gay is. You can't just pray and have God ‘degay' you. This is who you are, and if God made you this way, it has to be right.”
HEIARII * * * Tahitian Born Singer/Dancer Delivers a Cutting Edge Los Angeles-based Tahitian Pop singing sensation Heiarii went home Saturday night with the "Best Pop Artist of 2005" award given by All Access Magazine at a sold-out third annual All Access Magazine Awards Ceremony held at Paladino's in the Valley. The magazine is widely known for being dedicated to promoting live music and local L.A. artists. You can see the complete list of winners at http://allaccessmagazine.com/2005_winners.html . Heiarii was born in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, where he taught himself the English language and eventually began singing at the age of six. It didn't take Heiarii long to make a career decision and by the time he turned 15 he was singing and dancing his way into the Winners' Circle at every major competition he could enter. Heiarii came out the winner in Tahiti's Search for Stars Contest, Original French Song Contest, and was voted Tahiti's Most Promising Singer and Best Male Vocalist in Hawaii. Whether he sang in English or French, Heiarii's angelic voice touched people everywhere. Heiarii sang his hit "You Took My Heart Away" to 400+ people in attendance at the TAXI road rally last Friday and left them in tears with his strong performance. Kenny Kerner (legendary producer for KISS, Gladys Knight, Jose Feliciano and Badfinger) teamed with British producer/engineer Cameron Leonard-Schroff to deliver Heiarii's contemporary, cutting-edge electronic pop-dance CD filled with creative beats, pounding rhythms and soaring melodies. In addition to a killer cover of the KISS classic, "I Was Made For Loving You," Dance! boasts four ballads that truly showcase this artist's amazing voice: "You Took My Heart Away," "Love Is To Set Free," "Haunting My Heart," and "Mon Paradis" a song about his native Tahiti sung in French. PHOTO CAPTION: Los Angeles-based Tahitian Pop singing sensation Heiarii took home the "Best Pop Artist of 2005" award Saturday night given by All Acess Magazine at a sold-out All Access Magazine Awards Ceremony held at Paladino's in the Valley. PHOTO CREDIT: Manrique Photos
Heiarii
Heiarii is overwhelmed with the chance to raise money for this worthwhile cause, "I have a special place in my heart for children. They are beautiful and kind and innocent. I love to sing to them and this is a great honor for me. I will try not to cry when I'm singing to them on the telethon," says Heiarii.
Some people affectionately refer to him as “that kid with the strange name,” but those who have seen him perform or heard him sing, call him “exceptionally talented.” Heiarii (pronounced like Ferrari) was born in Papeete , Tahiti , French Polynesia , where he taught himself the English language and eventually began singing at the age of six. “I loved the serenity of Tahiti ; the beaches, the sunsets—it's all so beautiful and peaceful there. All of the people are like your brothers and sisters.” It didn't take Heiarii long to make a career decision, and by the time he turned 15, he was singing and dancing his way into the Winners' Circle at every major competition he could enter. Heiarii came out the winner in Tahiti 's Search for Stars Contest, Original French Song Contest, and was voted Tahiti 's Most Promising Singer and Best Male Vocalist in Hawaii . Whether he sang in English or French, Heiarii's angelic voice touched people everywhere. After winning every award and honor imaginable, Heiarii set his sights on America and, at the age of 20, moved to Los Angeles . “I was alone and a little scared when I came to Los Angeles but I was serious about pursuing a career as a singer and dancer. Los Angeles was the place to be. It was the first time I was ever out of Tahiti , but I moved with no second thoughts.” Heiarii enrolled in the vocal program at Hollywood's prestigious Musicians Institute and was soon selected by two major record company A+R Directors as the winner in that school's Artist Development competition. It was there that the artist befriended manager/producer Kenny Kerner who is in charge of the school's Music Business Program. “I remember watching him perform an original song called ‘I Belong to the Sky',” said Kerner, “ and as he sang, his emotions were so real and so strong that tears began to roll down the side of his face. I had never seen this kind of sincerity before in a singer. Heiarii was the real deal. He was a pure artist and I wanted to get involved.” True to his word, Kerner began the long process of finding the right material for Heiarii. Together, the two would listen to song after song until they came up with the selections that comprise the artist's debut CD, Dance! Kenny Kerner (himself a legendary producer for such international stars as KISS, Gladys Knight, Jose Feliciano and Badfinger), teamed with British producer/engineer Cameron Leonard-Schroff to deliver a contemporary, cutting edge electronic pop- dance CD filled with creative beats, pounding rhythms and soaring melodies. “This CD just makes you wanna get up and move,” said Heiarii, “it's edgy, it's sensuous, it's romantic.” In addition to a killer cover of the KISS classic, “I Was Made For Loving You ,” Dance! boasts four ballads that truly showcase this artist's amazing voice: “You Took My Heart Away,” “Love Is To Set Free,” “Haunting My Heart” (performed in Spanish) and “Mon Paradis,” a song about his native Tahiti sung in French. But Heiarii's CD is only half the story. In a recent article, California Song Magazine wrote: “This guy is a star in every sense of the word. Whether he's swirling around with his shirt open, pulling his pants down just enough to tease (and sometimes expose himself), or letting his singers run their hands all over his body, Heiarii's sensual dancing gets his audiences all hot and sweaty…” And All Access Magazine had this to say: “Heiarii is blessed with looks that kill and a smile as bright as a star. There is a new pop sensation on the rise that is going to take the music world by storm. His name is Heiarii.” Heiarii choreographs his own show to ensure that it is every bit as daring and provocative as his CD. “I learned that I am in the entertainment business and my job it to sing and perform and entertain audiences with a complete show and not just play the music on my album.” Indeed, Heiarii made the transition from Tahiti to America a smooth one. When asked what he loves about this country, he replied: “I love the shopping, the night life, the hot California girls and making friends.” Given his charm, his talents, and his music, it looks as if Heiarii will be making friends for a long time to come—not just in America , but around the world!
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