In the latest development in their comeback, Nadi-based duo Makare Fiji have revealed they are quietly completing a 10-track album, aiming for a finish by the end of June, and have already put out a revived recording of a Fijian classic. The pair — Simi Rova and William “Big Wilz” Waqanibaravi — released their new take on Fascinating Fiji in April, a song originally penned by the late politician Ted Beddoes and made famous by the “golden voice” of the late Jese Mucunabitu.
The single is both an homage and a reintroduction. Beddoes’ lyrics — celebrating “green waters,” “golden beaches” and tradewinds that “whisper to the palm trees” — are delivered in Makare’s version with Big Wilz opening in a clear, melodic register before Simi moves in on the third verse and into a guitar solo that nods to rhythms from Makare’s earlier work. The duo say their arrangement keeps the song’s nostalgic feel while adding textures that they hope will appeal to both older listeners who remember Mucunabitu and younger audiences hearing the piece for the first time.
Big Wilz framed the release as a deliberate response to what he describes as a negative perception of Fiji amplified on social media. “There’s so much happening in Fiji right now that when you go on social media the perception that people are putting out is like Fiji is one of the worst countries to live in,” he said, explaining their selection of Fascinating Fiji as a “needed injection of some positivity.” He added that for people who live outside the social-media lens, the song still rings true: “To them life is the same. It is laid back and Fiji is still heaven on earth.”
Simi said the song evokes a simpler era. She recalled meeting Beddoes at Mick Beddoes’ home in Sabeto and being told that Beddoes had written many of the songs that propelled Jese Mucunabitu to fame. “He wanted us to record some of his songs,” Simi said, adding that Mucunabitu’s work — including Heaven in My Fiji, Tropical Dawn and Oh My Islands in the Sun — has been a major inspiration for Makare’s revival. “That’s where I knew that we had to keep these classic songs alive.”
Beyond nostalgia, the duo see a cultural purpose in their project: to revive classic Fijian songwriting for a younger generation. Both artists expressed concern that contemporary songwriting in Fiji has become “on the surface,” focused heavily on love and heartbreak without the layered imagery older songs used. “Songs of old could be about a love story but told in a very different way,” Big Wilz reflected, pointing to elders’ penchant for weaving local landmarks, the moon or a flower into narratives that held deeper resonance.
Makare’s forthcoming album, which the pair hope to complete by the end of June, will be closely watched as a test of that mission. After announcing the band’s revival in recent coverage, Simi and Big Wilz have been working to balance faithful revivals of classics with fresh arrangements intended to bridge generations. Their April single release appears to be the first public step in that process. If the rest of the album follows the same approach, Makare aims not only to revive beloved songs but to reframe their significance amid modern conversations about Fiji’s identity.