Barthelemy Arakino

Barthélémy Tugarue Arakino or Barthélémy is a Polynesian singer , guitarist , ukulele player and singer-songwriter , born on October 3 , 1956 in Papeete and died on February 16 , 2015 in Pirae , on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia . Until the 1980s, Barthélémy's albums were published on cassettes . Barthélémy Tugarue Arakino, also known as "Barthélémy Arakino" or "Barthélémy Tugarue", sometimes nicknamed "Barthé" or "Atamu", but more commonly called "Barthélémy", was born Papeete in Tahiti from a family from Hao in the Tuamotu archipelago and grew up in the Outumaoru district of Punaauia . He is influenced by the music of his uncle, Teiti Ganahoa, with whom he sang from the age of ten. His professional career began in 1975, when Alphonse Vanfau, who directed the Studio Alphonse label, decided to produce it . Barthélémy writes and composes a good part of his songs, which he signs indifferently "Barthélémy Arakino" or "Barthélémy Tugarue". Most of his texts are written in Paumotu , the language spoken in his family, or in Tahitian . He also sings in French or sometimes in English . When they are not talking about love, his texts deal with often light themes, such as happiness and easy living. He is known for the cheerful and catchy character of his songs, which are readily played in Polynesian "bruises", and quickly acquires the nickname "king" of "kaina" music, name given to this music so typical of Polynesian family and popular celebrations. In june 2005 , Barthélémy wins the " 9 weeks and 1 day " ultramarine song contest organized by RFO with one of his great hits "Café de d' amour". This award allows him to perform on the Francofolies de La Rochelle stage in july 2005 . In 2008, he collaborated with the very popular Angelo on a duet album, "Fa'ahua Nou Nou". In 2009, he appeared in concert at the New Morning with other Tahitian singers for an evening of Polynesian music to meet his metropolitan audience. Barthélémy is admitted in november 2014 at the Taaoné Hospital Center in Pirae on the island of Tahiti , after contracting the chikungunya virus. Despite a state of health considered critical, he chooses to return home to be surrounded by his loved ones. The February 16 , 2015 , Barthélémy is readmitted in emergency to the Taaoné Hospital Center. He died there from respiratory failure caused by the virus. In the days that followed, the two main Polynesian television channels paid tribute to him: Friday February 20, 2015 , Tahiti Nui TV devotes an evening to him by broadcasting the first documentary ever made on the artist and then repeating the last concert he gave in july 2014 at the Grand Theater of the Maison de la Culture in Papeete; the Saturday February 21, 2015 , Polynesia 1st broadcasts a special program of half an hour. Barthélémy recorded two hundred songs on fifteen albums with Alphonse Vanfau, who was also an accordionist of the Polynesian group famous in the 1960s The Super Boys . Alphonse Vanfau died in 2016. Along with Angelo , Bobby and Gabilou , Barthélémy was considered to be one of the most popular Polynesian singers of their generation.Only a small number were released on discs or ported in digital format, so that there remain many albums which are no longer distributed. Original recordings exist but are very rare and difficult to find on the second-hand market.