Remembering Fiji: A Voice That Carried the Pacific

George “Fiji” Veikoso: A Pacific Voice That Carried Across Oceans

George Veikoso, known across the Pacific as Fiji, died on 24 July 2025 in Suva, aged 55. He was born in Buretu, Tailevu, and carried that heritage with pride throughout a life in music.

Veikoso’s voice travelled far. He blended reggae, R&B, hip-hop, jazz and island rhythms, then poured heart and story into songs that found homes in Fiji, the wider Pacific, New Zealand, Australia and the United States.

His debut solo album Evolution arrived in 1994 and introduced enduring favourites including Lia. Later albums added pillars of his catalogue, including Stone Cold on Born & Raised (1996) and Smokin’ Session on Gratitude (released in 1999, charted in New Zealand in 2000).

Veikoso moved easily between studio, screen and stage. He co-wrote and performed the Baywatch: Hawaii season 11 theme Let Me Be the One, and he appeared on screen in the 2002 surf film Blue Crush.

His peers recognised the scale of his influence. At the 2014 Pacific Music Awards he was named Best International Pacific Artist, and in 2021 he received the Manukau Institute of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award.

Home meant everything to him. A packed homecoming at Nadi’s Prince Charles Park in September 2024 brought thousands together to sing as one. Plans for a Homecoming Festival in 2025 are proceeding in tribute from 5 to 7 September at King Charles Park in Nadi.

Veikoso gave the Pacific region a soundtrack and showed many young artists that Pacific stories belong on every stage. The songs remain, the generosity remains, and the pride remains. That is the legacy he leaves with his family, his collaborators and his fans.

• Categories: Obituary · Music · Culture

  
  
  
  

  Sources

  • RNZ report confirming death in Suva, age 55, and 2024 homecoming with a second concert planned for September 2025.

  • Fiji Sun obituary noting roots in Buretu, Tailevu.

  • Pacific Music Awards (official): 2014 winners list; 2021 Lifetime Achievement announcement.

  • Discography references: Evolution (1994) with Lia; Born & Raised (1996) with Stone Cold; Gratitude (1999, charted 2000) with Smokin’ Session.

  • Baywatch: Hawaii theme credits (Alistar Records/producer site).

  • Blue Crush (2002) credit listing Fiji as himself (IMDb).

  • 2024 Homecoming coverage and 2025 festival listings confirming dates and Nadi venue.2024 Homecoming coverage and 2025 festival listings confirming dates and Nadi venue.