28 September 2020 - 0 Comments

The Pacific Music Awards Trust are proud to announce the Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award will be posthumously presented to Daniel Rae Costello, the Fijian guitarist who captured the hearts of listeners globally.

Daniel’s legacy will be honoured with the award at the 2020 Pacific Music Awards on Wednesday 30 September. Costello's music captured many hearts across the Pacific and the world, with strong influences by the Caribbean sound.

He released 30 albums throughout a long, influential career, with his debut album Tropical Sunset released in 1979.

While his debut album didn’t see widespread success, a year later he struck gold with his second album Lania, which was hugely popular with audiences in Fiji and around the Pacific. From there, he quickly became known for his excellent live performances.

Lania reached #1 in Fiji and across the Pacific and kickstarted Daniel’s music career. It was recorded with Pacific music legends like Tui Ravai on piano, Paul Stevens on drums, Vili Tuilaucala on guitars, Saimoni Waqa on bass, DJ Spooky on percussions, and Irene Taylor, Annie Kumar & Lela on backing vocals.

He moved to Australia a few years later because of the 1987 Fijian coups d'etat where he wrote two songs, Samba and Take Me To The Island, before returning to Fiji and starting his own studio and production suite called Tango Sound Productions. It was here he recorded his first big hit album, Samba.

Samba went on to sell more than 300,000 units in 1990-1993, proving to Daniel and the wider Pacific community it was possible to make a living solely from music alone in the Islands.

Daniel passed in 2019 after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Corrina Gibson-Costello and his five children, leaving behind a legacy of Pacific achievement, having travelled and performed in over 20 countries, recorded over 30 albums and played over 4,000 gigs. He inspired a generation of young musicians to pursue their dreams.

There will be a special tribute performance to Daniel Rae Costello, by well known Fijian artist Stevie Heatley, a close friend of Daniels, supported by TCB, which was Daniel’s touring band for New Zealand and the Pacific, 2013-2015.

The 2020 Pacific Music Awards live ceremony will not take place on Wednesday 30 September as planned. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event will be shared as an online presentation at 7pm on Saturday 3 October, and a Tagata Pasifika special will be screened on TV1 on Saturday 17 October, 9.30-11am.

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