Duckrockers, Don't You Forget About Me: from 80s anthem to Samoan classic

Denzel, left, and Harry Kelemete, have translated an 80s anthem into Samoan, and created an instant classic for the new TV series, Duckrockers.

Duckrockers, an eight-part prequel to the hit 2006 movie Sione's Wedding, is a coming-of-age story co-created by Oscar Kightley, about Pacific Island teenagers in inner-city Auckland in 1984, and inspired, in part by the Queen St riots in December 1984. That same year Simple Minds recorded the classic 80s anthem, Don't You Forget About Me. It has been translated into Samoan for the show. Harry and Denzel Kelemete are the father-and-son team who also arranged and produced the track. Denzel, 22, is an artist in his own right and has just released a single, Like I Do.
As told to Sarah Daniell

Harry: Our dear friend and genius Mr Oscar Kightley asked if I could help out with the music, the choir. I couldn't say no in case I got the jandal, haha! We're translating this song from English to Samoan so we had to be really sensitive. There are words that cannot be translated directly into another language, some words have different meanings in another language. So I had to carefully consider the intended message. We don't want to compromise that. Or our musicianship. Denzel singing all those high harmonies with [soul singer] Bella Kalolo's deep voice - it's just magic.

Denzel: We had to compromise on one phrase - "Forget about me" so that part is in English, and the chorus goes … "Aua nei, forget about me …"

HK: I had to write the whole score to this song so that it worked with the lyrics and then this guy [Denzel] just brings out his magic beans on the recording deck and boom ...

DK: The record company [Universal Music Publishing in Australia] heard the final but not Simple Minds — wouldn't that be amazing?

HK: I worked on Sione's Wedding with Don McGlashan – he's a wonderful, honourable, gentle man. He was writing and arranging a song and I was involved in the choir.

DK: Dad hears all of the different notes – it's all just Dad sitting at the keyboard and it's all in his head - and it just comes out. Bella's vocals are epic. You combine all that with the harmonies Dad did – it sounds like The Jackson 5. It's a constant debate over what we reckon sounds good. It has taken lots of hours to record this.

Duckrockers, a comedy coming-of-age prequel to the hit film Sione's Wedding, is directed by Oscar Kightley and Sima Urale.

HK: I guess I've done about 30 different choral arrangements since I was about 14. I studied the arrangements purely because I was teaching choirs and I wanted to write academically - it's like a science.

DK: Dad is the number one influence. My first musical influence. I remember being a very little boy watching him play the organ and the keyboards at church and it was an inspiration for me because everyone is singing but he's, like, conducting the choir, the arrangement. Also Michael Jackson - Off the Wall. M.J. idolised the 60s - James Brown, Charlie Wilson. Little Richard. Yeah, he's like Prince. Have you heard Jap Funk? They're a huge reference point for me. Very Princey. These guys recorded around 1979. their sound is so funky - Quincy Jones was like, "We have to head to Japan."

HK: Mine is church music – hymns. That's been my life's study. We came from a very musical family. Everyone was encouraged in music.

DK: Yeah and if you're not playing a musical instrument you're singing, or dancing. Everyone's artistic.

HK: We were like the Samoan Von Trapps. I come from a big family - seven sisters and two boys. About 100 grandchildren. We've all been exposed to church music from a young age. You learn a hell of a lot from that. It teaches you patience and peace and lots of other stuff.

DK: I remember being really small and at church everyone would have to sing - or Mama's gonna whip your ass.

HK: She'll get the jandals out.

DK: You gotta represent. It's a big deal for them - Mama, Papa and the family.

HK: I think it's healthy in this process of recording for Denzel and me to debate - it really is. It's about creativity - it's nice to have a difference in opinion and respect that difference. At the end of the day you both know you're about making something better. We've clashed many times. Arguing the point rather than the person.

DK: We did do an album a long time ago, which was the main introduction to this style - a gospel album for my grandfather. We had to annotate a choir for every single track. I'm used to doing one or two songs and Dad was like, "No man, we have to layer, layer, layer …" it's so detailed.

Denzel Kelemete, who has just released a new single, Like I Do.

HK: Music teaches you patience and persistence - and if you don't have that you start throwing furniture around. Like Elton John.

DK: True. Can't have tantrums. But then, a challenged mental state is also powerful in terms of creativity. Look at Kurt Cobain. Someone hurting to create beautiful music. James Brown - damn. He was the worst - one of the baddest in terms of telling people off. Bad ass. He was like in his own kind of world.

HK: He fired his backing band.

DK: But he was the big old father of soul. I love Motown too. I was shocked that a lot of my favourite vocalists did opera warm-ups. Seth Riggs was the coach for Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. So both the Motown boys had the same operatic vocal coach. You listen to their warm-ups and it's textbook.

HK: Denzel's technical approach is amazing - I hear that every day, him singing in his room.

DK: It's harder being a solo artist. I love a band. The social media side is interesting for me. TikToks. It's weird to do TikToks, you know what I mean? E.v.e.r.y day. I hope in the next 10 years or so we see a rebellion in social media. Take it back. Do you ever notice your attention span decreasing when you use social media? It's bad, man.

HK: If I was to reflect back to when I was his age, he is so far superior in terms of his knowledge and musicianship. He's humble - humble enough to do the 10,000 hours. He has the talent but if he didn't have the discipline - you know, it would never amount to anything.

DK: That's a nice answer. He wanted me to be a lawyer or something. 'Not a musician, like me what the hell' hahaha! But he's right. You feel a song when it's not right too. If something's not quite right, that's when the stress happens.

HK: I love that. There has to be an element of that. It's just like in life, there are ups and downs but when we collaborate and look back - there's so much respect. Highly emotional times. Clashing ideas.

DK: The point of struggle is the point of growth, that is true.

HK: You never stop growing - there's never a straight line in life, or music. But we both have a favourite word in Samoan: "Pese" - or "sing" in English. That was also our late mama Angeline Ta'ale's favourite word.

DK: I think Dad and I will have a little power pop group and it's gonna be called Father and Son, hahaha!

HK: Denzel is so musically talented, ranked highly up there with oxygen actually, addicted to music, high on life, passionate, humble with a loyal heart that keeps on loving ... a big bright future ahead of him. Of all, I'm most proud of being his dad.

Duckrockers, TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+