The musician tells FIRST about going viral, the first place she’d go in a time machine and more.

First time you performed in public

“I used to do Britney Spears routines. We lived in Wellington and there’s this park that has a stage – I forget what it’s called, but my dad used to take me there and my mum would carry three deodorants in her bag because she’s sweaty girl. And so I used to take her deodorant out of her bag and then go on the stage and be like, ‘Hit me baby one more time’ in front of all these people. And my mum’s like, ‘Oh my God, I promise we take her to church.’ I sang at church too, praise and worship. I did. So my name Disciple Pati was at one stage unironic because when I was younger I was a religious girl. Wanted to be a true disciple.”

First nickname

“My first nickname was actually Sa. So my full name is Sapati, which means Sunday, Sabbath, holy day… So my parents were trying to put me down a path. Obviously it didn’t work. And my uncle Kevin called me Sa. And then everybody else started calling me Pati and in Samoan pati also means clap, so people would be like, ‘Ha, pati pati’. And I’m like… It’s not that funny when you hear it 20 different times a day.”

First overseas trip

“I’d done lots of overseas trips with my family but my first ever overseas trip with my bestest friend in the whole entire world we went to Thailand – the most embarrassing trip of my life. 

So [before we went] I was researching what food I was going to eat, and they have this crab, it’s called the horseshoe crab, and so I was like, OK, I’m going to eat this crab. It’s a salad they make. On our last day there we walk past this restaurant that has an aquarium in it and has these creepy little horseshoe crabs. So I get inside and order the crab and then the crab salad comes and then I eat it. I’m like, this is so yum. I eat the whole thing. And then we get up to go and my stomach gets upset. And I’m like, oh no, here we go. I have to go back to the hotel. I try to pua’i, which means vomit, I try to throw it up and nothing comes out. And so I’m sitting on the bed, I’m like, oh my gosh, I’m going to die. I’m going to die. And then I start getting little hives on my skin, little itchy bites. So we got to the pharmacy and [the pharmacist] is like, you’re having an allergic reaction. I’ve never had an allergic reaction like that before, so we get all the medication.

My face blows up. It’s full on – my eyes are swollen, my cheeks are swollen, my body’s red everywhere – but [my friend] wants to get her souvenirs for her family. So we have to walk along the bloody road and she’s looking at these keychains and I’m just like dying in the corner. [After a while] it starts to calm down, so I’m like, OK, I feel a lot better now. She’s like, see, I told you you’re being dramatic. And then in the corner of my eye, I see a little scorpion and I’m like, but I can’t leave Thailand without having eaten a scorpion. So, I go eat the scorpion with my full blown face and then we get tattoos. That’s my first trip to Thailand and I’m surprised I’m still alive.”

First time you went viral

“The first time I went viral was on Twitter and it was for shaking my two butt cheeks together really, really well. And then it just went everywhere. I got like a hundred thousand views in 24 hours. I was like, well I know I got a nice butt, but I didn’t know it was that good until all my family started unfollowing me.”

First place you’d go in a time machine

“I’d go to Samoa before the missionaries got there. Just to see what my ancestors are doing. Like ‘Hey gramps, what you up to?’ He’s like, ‘Oh you’re my descendant?’ I’ll be like ‘Yeah’. He’s like, ‘[Hmm…]’ Anyways…”

Interview edited for length and clarity.

This episode of FIRST was made with support from NZ On Air.