VIDEO: Samoana release their first original Croatian song 

(Photo: Samoana/Facebook)

Kiwi-Samoan brothers Christian and Austin Malietoa Brown have been entertaining crowds in Croatia and in Croatian communities over the world with covers of Croatian songs.

They burst on the scene as part of Klapa Samoana, and their viral moment came in 2018 when their rendition of Mladen Grdovic’s ‘Nije u šoldima sve’, after Croatia beat England to reach the World Cup final, was watched by millions.

The brothers now go by the name Samoana, and today they have released their own original Croatian song for the first time. 

“Many Croatian people around the world know us for being the guys from Samoa who sing Croatian songs, but now we are going to be the guys from Samoa with original Croatian songs, songs that we can call our own,” the brothers said on Facebook, before adding.

“For many years we have been singing Croatian, learning about Croatian history, immersing ourselves in Croatian culture, and visiting Croatian communities around the world. Now we are able to present a song which captures all the beauty and love that we have experienced over the years.”

The song, titled “Kuća od neba i sunca” is written by Croatian musician Jacques Houdek, recorded by Croatia Records, and produced by Rubikon Sound Factory.

(Photo: Samoana/Facebook)

“Houdek originally wrote this song for the late Vinko Coce. When we were in the car after having recorded, we talked about how it was written with him in mind. This is a huge honour for us because we have always looked up to Vinko Coce since we first learned the song Vilo Moja almost 13 years ago,” they said.

Christian says that the song reflects their own journey and their experiences growing and learning from the Croatian community and from all their friends and fans that they have made around the world.

“My grandparents grew up in Samoa with not much money and came to New Zealand for a better life. They worked hard and eventually bought their own house. My mom grew up in that house and to this day it’s still our Mala Kuća Od Neba i Sunca. No matter where we go in the world we can always come back to home.”

You can check out the video of the new single, which was shot on the island of Krk and done by Mario Borščak and Nevio Smajić, below.