Background
Fuemana was born in Auckland, to parents Takiula Fuemana and Merelyn Fuemana. His father, Takiula Fuemana, is originally from Mutalau, Niue, before emigrating to New Zealand, while his mother was Taranaki Māori.
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Pauly Fuemana
Edit ProfileCareer
Fuemana was the lead singer of the music duo, (Otara Millionaires Club), which was best known internationally for the 1995 hit, "How Bizarre". The song is still the best selling New Zealand record of all time, as of February 2010. He was of half-Niuean and half-Māori descent.
Fuemana was the youngest of four children.
Fuemana was raised in Otara, a poor suburb in South Auckland with a large Pacific Islander population. Was formed by older brother Philosophy Fuemana and was passed on to Pauly Fuemana.
Fuemana"s musical duo,, reached worldwide fame in 1995 with the single "How Bizarre", from their debut album of the same name., which consisted of Fuemana and Alan Jansson, ceased recording in 1998, but recorded again briefly in 2007.
The song, which was named Single of the Year at the 1996 New Zealand Music Awards, hit number one around the world, including the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand.
In 2002, their song "How Bizarre" reached #71 on the 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders. The single was a chart hit in many countries and spent multiple weeks at number one in several countries, reaching the top for two weeks in Austria, three weeks in Ireland, three weeks in New Zealand and five weeks in Australia. He often spoke about the hit: "I put a lot of hidden stories in there so people could read between the lines and sense it for what it is instead of telling them, "Yeah, we got pulled over by the cops, and my mate got his head smashed in, and we got arrested, and they found some pot on him,"" Fuemana told Reuters in a 1997 interview.
Fuemana declared bankruptcy in 2006.
Pauly Fuemana died following a protracted battle with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, ultimately succumbing to respiratory failure at North Shore Hospital, North Shore City, on 31 January 2010. His death occurred eight days before his 41st birthday.
He had been in declining health for several years. Foreign a few months prior to his death he had been suffering from a neurological condition, and also developed pneumonia.
The week of his death, "How Bizarre" re-entered the New Zealand singles charts at #40.
The 200 attendees included rappers Dei Hamo, Ermehn and Darryl Thompson, who is also known as DLT, Alan Jansson, Simon Grigg, Nathan Haines and the mayor of Auckland Super city, Len Brown.
