HOW "ZIPSO" WROTE HIS MUSIC
Sipili Nanai also know as Zipso
Photo: Supplied
After spending 31 months serving time, music artist Sipili Nanai, also known famously by his fans as "Zipso" , shares with us some of his latest music he wrote.
Legendary local music artist Zipso is on the verge of bringing back the classic sounds of the Millennium age through Samoan Rap music. The nostalgic sound of classic Samoan rap has been revived in his latest released music.
In an exclusive interview with Eye Spy Radio on Friday this week , Zipso shares with us some of the fondest memories from his time in prison. Zipso stated that when he first entered its gates , he was put in cell 1 and then later on moved to Rm 6 where labour work was intense and hard.
"On days when there was no labour , we would chill inside our cells and script songs. Some of the cellmates were also musicians and they helped me strategize the Tanumalala song and other writeups I was working on at the time" Sipili said.
"With just a book and pen at hand, I started writing the stories of some of the inmates I was roomies with, they shared their struggles and I related to them. Some of the inmates were experiencing schizophrenia and music was their escape. That;s when I wrote one song called " E leo Le Pule le ola le tali" which convey that suicide wasnt the answer ", he added.
Most of those memories were incorporated into one of his latest songs called "Tanunamalala E Le Galo" released on April 2 2022. The track today has reached 104,337 views on YouTube with numerous fans commenting "Welcome back legend" and "Koe sau Zipso" meaning that Zipso is back. With that , listeners started revisiting one of Zipso's oldest classic hits "Fika Mai Le Pese" (2005) from a dedace ago which elevated to 661,146 views and has become a favourite for Generation Z & Generation Alpha.
What made his welcoming hit unique was the details revealed inside of a Samoan penitentiary and the constant struggles they (inmates) endured on a daily basis. In one of the lines , he explained the routine of their day to day life was like in remand homes , saying they were awakened super early when the prison bell rang to start the labour work of the day.
The song lyrics in Samoan language , depicted the raw life of living behind cement walls for days that seemed to never end according to Mr Sipili Nanai. A classic Samoan Hip Hop lyrical piece was born and adored by many listeners local and abroad.
"When I was released , I went straight to producing music once again and thought back of the memories created within those walls" he said.
When asked on how he memorized some of the songs he created , Zipso said he started writing them in a notebook while observing jail life in Samoa as part of his storytelling environment. He brought the book home and started producing straight away.
"Sometimes we would gather and start singing and writing words that fit best with the place (Tanumalala Prison). We would scribble some lyrics on the cement walls like little kids so we can remember that one line." he told Eye Spy Radio.
With constant visitation by his wife Sofa Nanai and his only son , his parents and loved ones , Zipso said this motivated him to write new songs and
remained anchored to his passion for music." Just looking at my family and the time I was missing out kept me going" he said.
Zipso entered the gates of Tanunamalala in 2019. The artist stated that "prison talk" and the memories by inmates were mostly about hope and the chance for a better life , this sparked the idea of him telling their story through music. An experience he says "I will never forget". Sipili Nanai is back in the industry and said he is working on new tracks that he is excited to release. He hopes that his music gives people around the world the perspective of being Samoan and what island life is all about