LEAO make history as Samoan-language song wins top songwriting honour
“It’s a win for us but it’s a win for Pasifika language in Aotearoa.”
The biggest songwriting accolade in Aotearoa New Zealand has been won by Pacific neo-psychedelic group LEAO, whose Samoan anthem LALELEI has made history at the 2026 APRA Silver Scroll Awards.
LEAO became the first act to win the prestigious songwriting prize with a song written entirely in Gagana Samoa, marking a significant moment for Samoan music and Pacific-language representation in the mainstream music industry.
The group’s distinctive vintage Polynesian steel guitar sound has long resonated with young music audiences, not only in Aotearoa but around the world. Alongside the music, audiences have been learning and singing back the words to LALELEI, bringing Gagana Samoa to listeners far beyond the Pacific.
“Winning this epic tribute for this Samoan classic hit, means so much for us but for other young artists coming through it normalises the sound of the region we live in - it normalises our reo and hearing Pacific language”
Written by David Feauai-Afaese, Navakatoa Tekela-Pule, Levi Gemmell and Rāhana Tito-Taylor, LALELEI, meaning “beautiful”, celebrates family and homeland, exploring the connection to Samoa and the cultural ties that continue across generations.
The group’s first-ever overseas tour took them to London, Oslo and Copenhagen, where they were surprised to discover audiences already familiar with their distinctive island sound and singing along to their songs.
“David (lead singer) would be saying things in Samoan and saying Lalelei and we would hear them shouting it back at us - which was so awesome and affirming of people who so supportive of indigenous language and not threatened by it ” Navakatoa Tekela-Smith LEAO
The experience reinforced the reach of Pacific music and the connections audiences can make with a song, even when they do not understand every word.
“You might not understand the lyrics but the emotions are communicated - they lyrics are very much a song of affirmation and reconciliation - the fact that our peers felt the same emotion and connected to it like we did is pretty magical'' says David Feauai- Afaese in an RNZ interview on the win.
Feauai-Afaese has previously described LALELEI as a tribute to Samoa and the artists who have shaped Samoan popular music over generations.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, he said: “lyrically, there’s nothing more iconic in Samoan songwriting than writing a song dedicated to Samoa”.
Feauai-Afaese, Tekela-Pule and Taylor are also among the founders of pan-Moana record label Noa Records, which contributes to the wider Pacific music landscape. LEAO’s work has also featured in Taika Waititi’s film Next Goal Wins, and the group has performed internationally, including at the Great Escape festival, and appeared on NTS Radio.
The historic win was among several awards presented at the 61st annual Silver Scroll Awards, which coincided with APRA’s centenary celebrations recognising 100 years of representing songwriters and composers in Aotearoa.
Among the other winners were Emily and Charles Looker, who perform as Aro, taking home the APRA Maioha Award for Puna Ora, a song written in te reo Māori that explores intergenerational connections and the relationship between ancestors, children and the living world.
Rob Ruha received the inaugural Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito award for Te Tapuni, a composition for kapa haka honouring the late Ricky Lee Tapuni Mitai and his commitment to te reo Māori, tikanga and the arts.
For LEAO, the recognition highlights what can happen when Pacific artists bring their languages and cultural identities to the forefront of the music industry, creating space for younger generations to hear their reo celebrated on one of Aotearoa’s biggest songwriting stages.