Mayhem & Miracles

It’s NZ Music Month and X Factor grand final time so this week I want to honour a Samoan hero who has achieved international success and broke a ceiling for Pacific hiphop. The artist? Demetrius Savelio, better known as Savage.

What I love the most about Savage’s story is how he overcame a tough beginning to find a dream and pursue it. We often come to know achievers in their best moments, and that can be intimidating. But when we have a chance to hear their life stories we discover that achievers are ordinary people, just like us. They face challenges like we all do … and they don’t always make the right choices. But one thing they do is persevere.

You’ll be amazed to hear some of the things Savage has been through in his life, including homelessness, expulsion from school and trouble with the police. “Mayhem is my past, where I came from,” Savage explains, “and music, which changed my life, is the miracle … things I never thought I’d accomplish.”

I’m so glad that the book Samoan Heroes documents his and other achievers’ stories because they are truly inspirational.