Massey Music student shines on national stages

Massey Music student Adah Setefano is making waves in the music scene, coming to stages nationally in theatre show A Master of None: Brown Fala, first staged at the Fringe Festival earlier this year.  

From performing at Parliament, to working on an album, Adah voice is only growing louder. 

A New Zealand-born Samoan-Tongan, Adah was drawn to music at an early age, inspired by her tight-knit community upbringing in Cannons Creek, Porirua.  

“I loved listening to people sing, trying to dance to different rhythms. Over time I discovered I could do different things with my voice and started to become more confident singing.”  

Growing up, Adah was surrounded by faith, family, and culture, creating a strong foundation for her inspirations and ethos. Her grandmother was particularly inspiring, “She was confident in who she was and had the voice of an angel. I aspire to be half the woman she was.”  

She shared that her grandma told her that every song is like a bonus prayer, something Setefano has carried with her. “I hope that whatever type of art I make, someone else could use it as a bonus prayer.”  

The eldest of three children, Adah grew up singing in the church choir while competing in talent quests. But her interest really sprouted in primary school. 

“Artists would visit and I was always nominated by a teacher to go up and sing with them or would be chosen to be involved in school productions and music groups.” She was later offered opportunities to sing in public, landing her first job singing in a cafe with her younger brother.  

Now in her final year studying Commercial Music at Massey, Adah works as the Pacific Social Media manager across Massey’s three campuses. 

Despite her workload, her music has shown no sign of slowing down. Adah is involved in choral singing and performed as a section leader in the choral group Pacific Connection, who competed in the Barbershop Harmony Society Internationals in July, placing third in the world.  

Now, she is the project manager for Pacific Connection’s upcoming album which is about celebrating pacific languages. 

She has also performed backing vocals for artist LILA (LJ Creighton) at Cuba Dupa when he opened for artist Mā earlier this year, alongside performances at Parliament and with major artists such as Savage and The Katinas.  

She said her favourite performance was when singing group Pacific Connection performed in their first international competition in Louisville, Kentucky in 2023.  

“I remember being so far away from home that I couldn’t help but feel the presence of all my loved ones watching from afar and performed as best as I could and left it all on the stage.”  

Her involvement in theatre show A Master of None: Brown Fala included powerhouse vocals and a hauntingly beautiful final performance of ‘Promise’. The group is heading to Hawkes Bay and Christchurch next month.  

She said the show offers something for everyone and sparks important conversations, praising creator LJ Crichton’s work as one of her favourite collections of music. 

But her success is not without challenges. Adah has been trying to figure out what message she wants to deliver and the kind of artist she wants to be while creating positive change through her music.  

“I pray that through the art I make, God will have His hand over it and it will show through my music as well as who I am as a person,” she said. “I hope to one day inspire other young Pasifika artists that we are story tellers, our ancestors are navigators and that it can be displayed through any art form.” 

Looking ahead, Adah looks forward to making her own music and eventually sharing it with others — maybe even internationally.