Iconic Samoan singer-songwriter Fa'anana Jerome Grey will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at the 2022 Pacific Music Awards next month, says Pacific Music Awards (P.M.A.) Trust.

Grey’s iconic song "We Are Samoa" became the unofficial anthem of the country, penned while Grey was homesick while travelling through Alaska in the late 1970s, according to a statement released late Monday by the P.M.A. Trust in New Zealand.

The song sent shockwaves throughout the industry and propelled Grey to stardom, including performing for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Congress in 1980.

Prior to this, Grey worked with fellow musicians Seminary Uesele and Harry Sinapi, recording as a trio known as the Samoan Three. Established in 1971, the Samoan Three covered contemporary songs by artists like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis.

The group were notable for their cultural versatility, singing songs in a variety of languages including Spanish, Latin, Hawaiian, Tahitian and Fijian, according to the statement. 

A stalwart of Pacific music, Grey’s impact and legacy can be felt across the culture. His unique style pushed the boundaries and broke through an invisible barrier of what traditional music composition and entertainment across the Pacific was at that time.

New Pacific artists like Sol3 Mio, The Katinas, Lapi Mariner, Jamoa Jam, and Kapono Beamer were inspired by his work, with many of them recording covers of his original compositions.

In 2021 he was named Polynesia’s Artist of the Decade by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma, Washington, added the statement.

P.M.A. Trust spokesperson Rev. Mua Strickson-Pua said in the statement that Grey's musical compositions continues the tradition for the Samoan diaspora. 

“Fa'anana Jerome Grey continues our Te Moana Niu A Kiwa South Pacific musical tradition for our Pacific urban migration diaspora generation for thousands of Samoans globally born away from our beloved Samoa.

“Jerome has provided us with a Samoan musical compass linking us to our alofa of being Samoan, our alofa for Samoa and our alofa for Atua God Tupuaga ancestors showing us the way home.

“Fa'anana epitomises that Pacific composer who musically tells our Pacific stories Tala Fa'asolopito history, our Malaga journey, and our Tauivi struggles. 

"He tells his love for Samoa, his love for the people of Samoa and in return we the Samoans around the world sing his Pese song in unison ‘We Are Samoa’.

“The Pacific Music Awards Trust humbly announces Fa'anana Jerome Grey as the Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement recipient. Fa'avae i le Atua Samoa.”

Grey’s legacy will be celebrated at the Pacific Music Awards next month with a special tribute performance to honour his impact on the Pacific music scene.