Leap of faith pays off for Kalasa

By Sarafina Sanerivi 09 November 2016, 12:00AM

“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”

This had been the main drive behind Kalasa’s journey having just achieved her goals of recording a CD. 

The 29 year old eldest daughter of Aitauia Manisesa Mauluulu and Fu’a Fatu Mauluulu from the villages of Matatufu, Lepea and Tanumapua is grateful after completing a great milestone in her career as a singer. 

Said Kalasa, it took her three months to put together her first album title, “Use me Lord.”

However this has always been a dream of her ever since she was young. 

“I started singing at a very young age,” she told the Samoa Observer.  “And I always wanted to become a good singer, and I prayed to God to help me become one. Not so I can have a lot of money and become famous. I wanted to pursue this God given talent so that I can benefit and be a blessing to others.”

Asked about what contributed to her success, Kalasa who works at the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure credits the Lord. 

“I have Him to thank for all that he has done for me. This is gifted to me, and I give him back all the glory and thanks to him for making it happen for me. I humbly thank him for his blessings and for helping me in pursuing this dream. Like I mentioned before, I have always wanted my own album. It was something that I really wanted to achieve.” 

“And now that it’s done, I give all the glory to God.”

Moreover, she admitted that putting together her new album was not easy. “It was filled with challenges,” she said.  “I had to find time to practice, record and make sure that everything is perfect on top of all that I do at work, family and church.  But I can honestly tell you that it was all worth it.” Kalasa’s new album is called “Use me Lord” or in Samoan, “Fa’aaoga A’u Le Alii e.”

“The album is all about praising God. This is something I prayed to him about everyday growing up. I wanted to be blessings to others and I had strong faith in God that one day my dream will come true. And that is why I am so grateful to Him.”

All the songs in the new album are original songs written by Kalasa and her mother.  “All the songs in the CD are all gospel songs, except for one wedding song.  All throughout my life, I’ve always wanted to be original and be who I am. I didn’t want to be someone else. I always wanted to do things in my own way and help inspire others as well.  I guess the main key which contributed to the success of this project is my faith in God. It was hard, but I know that if I put my trust and faith in Him, he will make it happen for me.”

“This is something I have always wanted to achieve. But taking it step by step was how I was able to make it to where I am now. This is mainly for God’s glory. The main message is that God is alive and he is the only solution to the many troubles we have now in our lives.”

“We are all looking at the end of the world where there will be filled with all the challenges and troubles, but if we focus our eyes on to the Lord, he will guide us through it all.”

“And that’s basically what the songs in the album are all about. It’s all about sending out God’s message to everyone and to help heal a soul and inspire our young people, to turn on to God whenever you are going through a rough time.”

Aged 29, Kalasa was a finalist for the Samoa Star Search in the year 2015, and was also a finalist of the Samoan Idol competition. 

Competing in those two competitions provided her with the opportunity to grow further more in terms of her talent. 

“The experience I got from the two competition helped me grow stronger and confident with the talent that was given to me by God.” 

“I learnt a lot and gained a lot of confidence from it.”

Moreover, Kalasa said being blessed with such a talent is something she will always be grateful for. 

“You know with this talent, you never get bored. You get to play when you have nothing to do; it helps you clear your mind and eases all the stress away. Music to me is something very dear to my heart. And I have God to thank for blessing me with such an amazing talent. Not only that, but for also giving me the courage and strength to pursue this talent. I play guitar as well, and sometimes when I am bored I just sing and play and have a good time.”

Finally, Kalasa wanted to thank everyone who helped her make her dream a reality. 

“Like I said, it was never easy,” she said. “But I want to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this project. I want to thank Triple S Studio to Galumalemana and the team for all the hard work. My spiritual parents, my brothers, and my sisters for all the support.

“Also to Fr. Raymond Betham and Unasa, and the team at Value and Price Samoa for your generosity and kind support. To Rimani Samoa and my Ministry, my partner and his family and to everyone who encouraged me and helped me throughout this journey. I owe this to all of you.”

By Sarafina Sanerivi 09 November 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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