Kayla Fasavalu was born in Australia to a father from the Samoa Islands and a mother of Lebanese descent.
She says her journey with music and later, singing, began with her maternal grandmother who used to play Fairuz's songs to her.
Despite not understanding the lyrics and only being able to speak a few words in Arabic, Kayla says she instantly fell in love with the melodies and rhythms of the songs.
My grandmother introduced me to Fairuz's voice and the first time I performed one of her songs in concert was at a Mirath event.
Born in 1934, Nouhad Wadih Haddad, known as Fairuz, is considered by many as one of the most famous singers in the Arab world.
Fairuz is a musical icon in Lebanon and is popularly known as "the soul of Lebanon".
Kayla says she chose one of Fairuz's songs 'People Ask Me' to perform as part of the Mirath in Mind concert at the Maronite Holy Family School in Sydney.
The concert was part of celebrations for the 10th anniversary of Bankstown Sports.
Mirath in Mind is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2010 to promote and keep alive the cultural legacies of the arts, heritage and culture of the Arab and Lebanese worlds in Australia.
Young Kayla Fasavalu proudly wearing her Samoan traditional dress
Kayla, who is currently completing Year 12 at the Maronite College of the Holy Family, says she is proud of her roots which combine two very distinct cultures.
“I am proud to belong to two cultures based on association, but my father's culture is calmer than that of my loud Lebanese mother,” she said with a smile.
On her taste of Lebanese food, Kayla says:
Who doesn't love Lebanese food? There's nothing like it in the world!
Listen to Kayla's voice in the audio file above.
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