Page 24 - Fiji Traveller 9

Hunter’s Inn, Lautoka (1981). Eni Kumar and Bobby Blue. Ulysses performing at Lucky Eddies in 1985. From Left: Joseph Singh (bass), Ezra Williams (Vocals), Eni Kumar
(Vocals) and Sia Varea (Guitar/Vocals).

“We just laid low,” she says, “I never even got in touch with my media: soul, funk, disco, R&B – vinyl, cassette tapes and
family.” compact discs
“After eight months I called my mum and told her where we “It's important that people know we had our fair share of
were, and she said if you think that he loves you and he’ll look hardships along with the good times,” Enid tells me. “I guess
after [you], then we’ll forget about it, and you can come back.” these experiences have helped shape what we as individuals
I ask if both families accepted them after this. are today. I count myself fortunate to have been exposed to a
“Not really,” she says shaking her head. “At that time, it was plethora of artists and music genres. It's helped me develop an
still just the two of us.” ear for technique and style.”
Eni and Aneil found no such complaints from the boys in Importantly it’s not just her own family who sings Eni’s praises
Ulysses who quickly heard of their return and immediately asked – younger musicians and the wider community are also admirers.
them to re-join the group. Last year, when famous French jazz saxophonist Samy
“It’s crazy!” she tells me laughing. “We left Ulysses three times, Thiébault gave a series of live performances in Suva, it was Eni
but that’s how the band life works.” who was called on not only to sing, but to help train the Suva
In 1980, at the birth of a new decade in Fiji, the couple had Grammar choir to accompany him.
their first child. Musician Isireli Leleasiga Vulaca has had the pleasure of
“When the families saw Oneil, when they saw what a beautiful playing with Eni several times in recent years.
boy he was, they all shut their mouths and came together,” Eni He laments that while other performers of the time like
says grinning from ear to ear. Georgina Ledua and Laisa Vulokoro - even earlier musicians
Enid would arrive exactly three years later. like Sakiusa Bulicokocoko – created recordings of their covers,
It seems that only the birth of a child can rival the unifying examples of Eni at the peak of her fame are more lo-fi and very
power of music, healing rifts that run deep, and ending long-term rare, captured in the moment at live events on basic equipment.
arguments. “It is a shame that we don't get to hear them, because some of
“I was the super glue!” Oneil interjects with a cheeky smile. the recordings from the nightclub days that I’ve heard are quite
Growing up, Oneil and Enid remember a house filled with both fantastic and you just wish that you could have captured that.”
music and musicians, colourful clothes and costume changes. “Fijian history and narratives are based around oral traditions,”
“Our house was like a truck stop!” Enid says laughing. “People he explains. “You hear a lot about musicians being the best, or
in and out and in and out. My dad was that sort of a person. If really hitting the ball out of the park, from the older musicians
anyone was going through some hard times, he would always and older patrons who used to go to these kinds of events.”
bunk them at home, you know? Until they got back on your feet “I really just really want to make sure that Eni gets the flowers
and then, you know, then you're on your way sort of thing.” that she deserves because she is quite the dynamic act and
Eni reminds Enid of how she used to know all the words to the because the entertainment that she provides at events that I was
songs, even from a young age. These days, when she can be a part of… you could see that she was not only well recognised,
persuaded, Enid will get up and do Amy Winehouse covers. but honoured as a legend.”
I ask if like most kids she used to dress up in her mother’s These days Eni is still captivating crowds with her impressive
clothes. vocals, channelled and inspired by Shirley Bassey. But where
“Your wardrobe was a big deal!” she says to her mother, Bassey’s impressive style can be a little mannered, Eni’s has a
giggling, “The shoes, the make-up, the clothes, some that mum restraint and humility that expands its power.
still has today, with her habit of hoarding.” On the weekends she can be found putting her own spin on
As we talk, the family notes the passing of the years through songs like, The Boy From Ipanema, or singing Fijian favourites
musical genres, technological developments and changing at Bad Dog, Damodar City in Suva.

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