OMC

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Pauly Fuemana is OMC.

Born the youngest of three children to a Nuiean father and Maori mother, life wasn't always easy. Spending his early years growing up in the rough South Auckland suburb of Otara, by Pauly's own admission - "You name it and I've done it. Honestly! I was always in trouble...there was nothing to look forward to." However, music soon became the creative outlet that provided Pauly with a sense of focus and achievement that his earlier years lacked. The first incarnation of OMC (known then as the Otara Millionaires Club) forged a name for themselves on the local music scene, and were renowned for their explosive live performances. Their performance at Australia's Big Day Out concert prompted by Rolling Stone (Australia) to declare, "Fuemana is an absolute natural, a man who sings and moves with the sharp easy grace of a young Marvin Gaye." It was the inclusion of the Otara Millionaires Club single, "We Are The OMC," on an album called Proud (a compilation for upcoming New Zealand acts) that caught the attention of producer Alan Jansson. Alan was fast developing a reputation as a leading pop producer, with his work being dubbed the Uptown Sound (named after his studio, Uptown Studios). Jansson distinctly recalls the moment that Pauly first took up the mic in the studio: "He was giving me a message straight away," says Jansson. "The way Pauly delivered stood up with anything I've heard anywhere in the world. He really shone through." The respect and admiration was mutual. Says Pauly, "Alan was the only one who ever said to me, 'Be original, don't be someone else's puppet, be original." The Otara Millionaires Club split early in 1995, with Pauly going solo and taking the OMC acronym with him. His first stop was Uptown Studios. Thus the songwriting partnership of Pauly Fuemana and Alan Jansson had begun." Signing to PolyGram New Zealand's Huh! label in mid 1995, the first result of the Fuemana and Jansson songwriting collaboration came in the form of a single called "How Bizarre."

The whirlwind success followed.

"How Bizarre" shot to the top of the New Zealand charts over the summer of '95/'96. Along the way it broke all records for a debut single by a New Zealand artist and caused the press to claim, "This is gonna be large - Top 10, at leats, if not #1, and OMC have shown they could have serious potential on an international scale." "How Bizarre" stayed at #1 for three consecutive weeks and had become one of the biggest selling singles by a New Zealand artist with sales reaching double platinum status. The phenomenal success continued in Australia where "How Bizarre" spent five consecutive weeks at #1, and sales there are now rapidly approaching double platinum status. In between all of this success OMC cleaned up at the 1996 Music and Entertainment Awards, walking away with awards for Most Promising Male Vocalist, Most Promising Group, Single of the Year, and Top Engineer. The UK release of "How Bizarre" followed shortly after, where the Australian success was soon repeated. The single shot to #5 and OMC enjoyed three remarkable appearances on the top rated Top of the Pops show...Europe and the U.S. are to follow... During the whirlwind of 1996 Pauly and Alan worked long and hard on Pauly's album How Bizarre. The album's 10 tracks include the title track, the second Australian single "Right On" (a gold single in New Zealand) and the brand new single "On The Run." The album features a wide variety of styles from the Spanish stroll of "How Bizarre," to the Bowie-esque "She Loves Italian," through to "On The Run" with its remarkable New Order meets eighties-disco meets the Ventures-sound. The variety is pulled together with the unique production skills of Alan Jansson who co-wrote all the tracks with Pauly. One special track is "Land of Plenty," Pauly's ode to his beloved New Zealand. While the world beckons this young Kiwi, his heart stays firmly planted in the beauty and strength of his birthplace. With the album confirmed for International release in 1996 and 1997, it is clear that Pauly Fuemana will take his unique sound of Polynesia to the world.

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