Rex Atirai produces a musical treat on Friday night

It was a musical treat for the hundreds who had gathered at the Le Manumea Hotel on Friday night, with a spellbinding performance from Cook Islands artist Rex Atirai, who also introduced a new Samoan song The corporate event was packed with Atirai performing for the first time in Samoa. “It’s my first time in Samoa,” said Atirai in an interview with Samoa Observer Alongside Atirai, his fiancée Nola Rura and the Tahitian dancers of Le Manumea Hotel graced the stage and added the dance moves to Atirai's songs. For his first set, Atirai performed seven songs. For his second set, he performed over eight songs, including his own take on Ruketekete te Mamae, an original song by Brother Love and one of Samoa's classics, Minoi Minoi Minoi. During his first set, Atirai teased the crowd with an unreleased Samoan song. The artist stated that he had always wanted to write a Samoan song, but with Cook Island influence to it. Organiser of the event, Radio Polynesia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and host, Corey Keil, said having Atirai travel to Samoa and perform in commemoration of Samoa’s 64th independence was very fulfilling to see. The audience sang along, danced and participated in activities prompted by the Master of the Ceremony (MC). The night ended with an extra set of songs after Atirai had asked the audience for song requests.