Maria Tanner Spends 5 minutes with ... Family in Trust
Hitting the sound waves with the highly infectious beats of ‘move your body’ and scoring some huge air time with songs like ‘E Manea’, the Atiuan all boy band Family in Trust visiting from Australia are currently in the Cook Islands crossing off a massive tour line up with gigs right across Rarotonga, and the Cook Islands Herald was there backstage to see if what goes on tour, really stays on tour.
The band comprises of five vocally gifted members Saint Cali, the rapper, then there’s G-baby who describes himself as being responsible for the bands “rugged ragga’ sound, Smoke Eazy, who likes to produce the beats, and Big D and STP well they’re your go to men for lead and harmony. Together they form the band Family in Trust, who at the moment are dominating the current airwaves not only here in Rarotonga but Australia and New Zealand. “It was just crazy to us that our music blew up,” says Saint Cali, “especially in New Zealand,” he adds gushing, “ our music was being played everywhere.”
The rather eclectic bunch who joined forces over a year ago have picked up a decent following in the short distance of time, and judging from Monday nights Atiu Hall fundraiser gig there’s no shortage of garment throwing or crowd fainting. Well maybe not yet but they are certainly on their way. Although coming from all different musical backgrounds and originally doing their own individual contributions for music, it was when Smoke Eazy approached the others with samples of his beats that the idea and formation of the band Family in Trust took place, “It was when we listened to some of his beats that we adapted and pulled all our genres together,” says Saint Cali.
Although relatively new to the music industry scene, the band members are no strangers to each other, as the highly suggestive name implies, yes they are related, and yes “We’re all cousins,” they laugh simultaneously. Starting out like most talented musicians they began with humble beginnings, a mic, a laptop, the use of an empty garage and some pretty big ideas but it was with the hit track ‘E Manea’ that they really cut their teeth. Having grown up in Australia, with the exception of New Zealand reared G-baby; Saint Cali says that he felt disconnected from their culture, “at the time we didn’t know much about our own culture but when E Manea happened to come along we were only slowly getting to know it, we didn’t really know much until we were introduced to our language and from then we just started listening to more Cook Island music.”
Letting the sun sink into their bones and the island heat glow their skin the group are enjoying what is their second visit to the Cook Islands and say that “its home here that we draw most of our inspiration because it is so beautiful.” The band, Family in Trust, for the past months have been touring throughout Queensland and Victoria in Australia, and now they can add Rarotonga to their bill, “It makes us proud to hear our music being played here,” says Cali, “ everyone’s been so supportive because it’s not just a younger crowd we’ve also got older ones in there too.” Rightly so, if the rest of their gigs are anything like Monday night’s performance at the RSA, then there’ll be ample head bobbing and shoulder swaying in support of the young band.
And of their lyrical composure “well that comes all naturally,” laughs G-baby in true rock and roll swagger. -Maria Tanner

Herald Issue 554 09 March
- Norm exposes Trio of Doom
- Briefs from PM’s media conference Tuesday
- Tourism Industry ponders $5 million draft strategy
- Norman George resigns from Cook Islands Party
- Letter of Resignation from CIP
- Norman selfish says Prime Minister