The Sāmoan Tenor named Pati who turned disadvantage into an operatic destiny

The life of Sāmoan tenor Pene Pati has been captured in a new documentary that feels less like a biography and more a testament to sheer, stubborn persistence.

Tenor: My Name is Pati follows the journey of Pati and his brother Amitai Pati from Sāmoa to platinum-selling success in the Sol3 Mio trio on the world's great opera stages.

“I totally forgot it was me at one point,” Pati tells William Terite on Pacific Mornings. “I started cheering on this kid. It just became a story of perseverance, more than anything.”

Growing up on the streets of South Auckland, Pati faced financial struggles and operatic opportunities were scarce. Obstacles that would have silenced or deterred many in the pursuit of greatness.

Pati recalls rarely allowing rejection to stall his momentum and instead of internalising the set backs, he viewed every hurdle as a redirection.

“I was always like, it didn’t work, on to the next,” Pati says. “I never once put my head down. I was kind of like, ‘You know what? That’s a sign, move on to the next thing’.”

Watch Pene Pati's full interview below.

Directed by Rebecca Tansley (The Strangest of Angels), the documentary was shot across seven countries, including the Pati brothers’ birthplace in Sāmoa.

Behind-the-scenes and backstage moments are woven with family home video, uncovering the charisma, culture, and determination that shaped their remarkable careers.

“The film is on the both of us, but I kind of lead the narrative a little more. Simply, I think, that's because I'm the older brother, but he has just as a successful career,” Pati says.

“Having him side by side, it was nice to see this family element as Polynesians, as Sāmoans, to show if I can do this, I need to bring him with me, or he'll do the same.

“And how we held hands the entire way, that if we both fell, we were like, okay, we can both help each other out.”

Their cultural foundation is what sets the Pati brothers’ artistry apart with Sol3 Mio having won multiple Tui Awards at the Aotearoa Music Awards, top spots at the Pacific Music Awards and Variety Artists Club of New Zealand.

Pati, who is based in Paris, has been individually recognised for his talents, including taking second prize at the Plácido Domingo’s Operalia in 2015 and was named a 2025 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate.

While the technical demands of opera are universal, Pati believes his delivery stems from a strong cultural grounding and is uniquely shaped by his upbringing.

“There's something innately different when the Europeans sing opera versus when we sing ‘opera’, because we don't really have opera. However, our music is designed to storytell,” Pati says.

“So the way I sing the opera that I sing is completely different, and that's purely because of the upbringing, the culture, the idea of sharing, the idea of storytelling. It’s within us.”

Pati says the film is ultimately a challenge to the audience.

He hopes that by watching the journey of two "non-extraordinary boys” from Māngere, others will realise that their own perceived disadvantages are often just matters of perspective.

“Everyone always says, 'Oh, you started the race 10 paces behind’. Instead of saying, ‘Oh I’ve got a disadvantage’, I always saw it as, ‘You put me behind because I’m too fast’.

“Being disadvantaged is a mindset. You have to be fearless. Find the motivation.”

Tenor: My Name is Pati arrives in cinemas across Aotearoa on 5 March.