VOLT 2023: A Volition Archive

VOLT 2023: Tell me about how Sisters Underground began.

Brenda Pua: Hassanah and I met in High School at Hillary College in Otara, South Auckland. We were about 13 years old. We hung out with other girls with similar interests in music, dancing and singing.

Hassanah Iroegbu: The group started out with four or five of us as a singing and dance group. We performed locally and at our high school, as well as others.

VOLT 2023: As a young Anglo-Australian from over the ditch, I didn’t know a lot about the origin of the Aotearoa hip hop and R&B scenes, but I heard Otara mentioned a bit. Can you tell me more about the significance of Otara?

Brenda: Growing up in Otara was a humbling experience. From my perspective, we were happy and blessed to live in a safe environment at the time. Otara was predominantly home to Polynesian and Māori families. While there were many struggles in Otara, it also produced a number of determined musicians with powerful stories to tell.

Hassanah: The Otara Music and Arts Centre (OMAC) was really a magnet for a lot of young people wanting to use their talent. For Brenda and I it provided a place that we could record our ideas in the studio, use the rehearsal room, put on shows and so on. The staff, Ina George and Sione Pasone, were very encouraging to us and provided a space that we felt like was our own.

VOLT 2023: Producer Alan Jansson is credited with developing this Urban Pacific Street Soul sound, which is really apparent in your track “In The Neighbourhood” or as another example OMC’s “How Bizarre”. What was Alan Jansson’s involvement with the scene in Auckland, and how did you meet him?

Hassanah: If I remember correctly, we won some live performance competition and were introduced to Alan for the opportunity to record.

Brenda: Alan Jansson was one of the first to recognise our potential in the music industry. He generously invested his time and resources to help us realise our dream of completing a music single.

VOLT 2023: Back in the day I had a community radio dance music show, and I played some of the Pacifika hip hop and R&B that was coming out of Aotearoa in the late 80s and early 90s like Upper Hutt Posse, Moana and The Moa Hunters, MC OJ and Rhythm Slave, and so on. What do you think were the driving forces behind this wave of new music from Aotearoa?

Hassanah: I imagine it was driven by the desire on the part of the Polynesian and Maori community for representation in New Zealand music as well as an alternative to the mainstream New Zealand music at the time. Definitely influenced by what was happening in US hip hop and also the reggae world.

Brenda: Unlike many other hip hop groups trying to break into the industry in NZ by imitating the American sound, the driving force behind this wave of new music from Aotearoa was culture and originality. Our music was something completely new, and brought  a sense of honesty and humility to the airwaves that hadn’t been heard before. On the radio, growing up I mostly heard New Zealand rock, while hip hop and R&B were more underground and catered to a niche audience.

VOLT 2023: “In The Neighbourhood” was included on the Second Nature/Volition release “Proud: An Urban-Pacific Street Soul Compilation”, and released as a single. You must be very proud of that! 

Brenda: It was a very proud moment for us and our families. We had a way to represent our cultures and loved ones while performing the music we were passionate about. People were finally taking notice. 

Hassanah: We are definitely proud of it now! At the time as very young teenagers we weren’t really connected to it. We really just wanted to sing, not do the whole rap thing. It was one of quite a few songs we recorded and we had no idea it would have the impact it did, but at this point we are really amazed and touched at how much the song has come to mean to NZ hip hop.

VOLT 2023: Did the release of “In The Neighbourhood” change your life?

Hassanah: Not immediately or directly. We actually left the country to live in Hawaii with my family as the song was released so we were overseas when it hit the charts. Over the long term though it’s become something that represents a special time in our lives.

Brenda: It did make us feel like celebrities! Our families were, and still are, incredibly proud of what we achieved at such a young age. We were able to do what we loved, which was sing, travel, and meet different bands and people in the industry. It was truly a blessed opportunity and an unforgettable experience.

VOLT 2023: Are you still in contact with any of the other artists from that scene?

Brenda: Unfortunately, no. Our lives took different paths after I got married. Now I’m living in Australia and pursuing a career in teaching and education. Music will always be a significant part of my life, and I have tried to make sure that my children and family share that love. We have our own music studio which keeps me busy creating music. One day I hope to release these songs that are a part of me and my family.  I keep in touch with Hassanah from time to time.

Hassanah: I’ve come across them from time to time. I was on tour with Julian Marley in New Zealand a few years ago and ran into Sani Sagala from Pacifican Descendants [VOLT 2023: Also on the “Proud” compilation album] That was really cool. I also did some vocals on a track with one of the members of another group (Neil Nili) on the album. Also friends on social media with some. We knew a lot of the guys through school or OMAC before the “Proud” album, but I wouldn’t say I’m in regular contact with anyone.

VOLT 2023: You reunited for a performance in 2013 right? What are the chances of another reunion of Sisters Underground?

Hassanah: Yes we did! That was an awesome experience and so good to see each other again. We’ve been best friends and sisters since long before Sisters Underground. I’m not sure what the chances are but I’m down for that!

Brenda: It was an amazing experience to be reunited with my sister Hassanah. We had so much to catch up on! I was heavily pregnant with my last baby at the time. I’m not sure if another reunion will happen anytime soon, but I wouldn’t say it’s impossible. If there’s ever a reunion for the Proud album, that would be an incredible event.

[Sisters Underground photo credit: Greg Semu. Brenda and Hassanah were interviewed separately via email]