WARTABAR: Meet the PNG-born artist with the ‘voice of an angel’

Leslie Gagau is a Papua New Guinean-Australian artist that Nick Littlemore describes as the “voice of an angel”,  born in Papua New Guinea and raised in Australia from age six.

He can sing, write, dance, compose, arrange, produce, play multiple instruments, and also doubles as an actor and choreographer.

Gagau’s first introduction to music was learning to play the guitar at 10-years-old.

Releasing music under the moniker WARTABAR, his style of music is largely influenced by pop, with infused elements from sub-genres R&B, soul and hip hop, creating his own take on pop.

“WARTABAR has a voice of an angel,” Littlemore said after working with Gagau, who learnt to sing in church before, school musicals and School Spectacular. “He sings from the heart like no other.”

He has just released his debut single ‘This Love’ after four tedious years collaborating with producers, writers and engineers.

WARTABAR collaborated with his university friends to create ‘This Love’, among other upcoming songs. He played electric guitar and co-produced the track alongside producer Tawanda.

“It took plenty of time to find the right people that were dedicated to helping this project turn out the way that it finally did,”  Gagau said. “I finally got in contact with Tawanda and he really catered to my vision of what I wanted to achieve.

“Music is a platform to inspire, motivate and reach out to people, relating through life experiences, perspectives and empathises with their circumstances and situations.”

WARTABAR premiered his debut single on June 11 on Let’s Get Deep Radio, a day prior to release.

In the interview, WARTABAR discusses the meaning behind his moniker. It’s his traditional middle name from his cultural heritage, and it translates to “gift”.

“WARTABAR is my traditional middle name given to me by my mother, and it means gift,” he said.

‘This Love’ by WARTABAR is out now.