The tonga sisters: Singing, Sisterhood, and standing as witnesses of christ
by Sydney Springer
“[My sisters] are my companions, and every performance is our mission. I feel like we’re always bearing testimony, regardless of the venue or the audience.”
Meet the Tonga Sisters: Lexi (22), Tuieti (18), Lela (17), Siva (16), and Nini (13). These five sisters live on the quiet north shore of Oahu, Hawaii--quiet, except for when they’re singing.
When Tueti, Lela, and Siva were old enough to read sheet music they were singing at baptisms and performing musical numbers in sacrament meetings. It wasn’t long before Nini caught on and Lexi joined in. Now the Tonga sisters are The Tonga Sisters, performing on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Fresh TV, and Nickelodeon, and harmonizing perfectly with one another as they spread the gospel through music.
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One Big Happy Family
Scrolling through their Facebook page or searching “The Tonga Sisters” on YouTube brings up dozens of videos of the sisters singing with coordinated outfits, flowers behind ears, and huge smiles. Ask them about each other and you get teary-eyed responses. The sisters are clearly best friends, with three younger siblings rounding out their family of eight children.
“As sisters, the singing has helped us to not only become closer, but to get along,” Lexi, the oldest, mentions as she curls up on the couch next to Tuieti.
But that doesn’t mean they don’t have the usual contentions that come with being close in age in close proximity. “The tricky thing about social media is what’s being portrayed. People only see the good,” Tuieti says with a sigh. “It’s not fake, but people don’t understand that we also go through the same struggles as a family as anyone else … Like when you go to school and see your sister wearing your jacket.” At this, everyone laughs. “Considering the fact that we all have really big personalities, [the music] helps us to stay really close.”
A motto their mother consistently brings up to her daughters is to “be in the world, but not of the world.” How do five young women in the entertainment industry uphold their standards while still appealing to the judges of competition shows and the audiences of Hollywood?
Tueti is quick to reflect on their upbringing. “[My mom] always said [the answer is] service. She says ‘if you're anxiously engaged in the work of the Lord, then you won’t be ‘of the world.’’” Lela adds that seminary has helped her the most. Some days she goes and it feels like the lesson was prepared specifically for her.
At all Times, In all Things, In all Places
St. Frances of Assisi is quoted as saying, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” Lela feels this quote applies to the sisters directly. “You don’t have to be on a big stage in order to share your testimony. You can share your testimony through serving your neighbor, or going to the temple and praying for someone.”
A part of sharing their testimony through song is also choosing what they represent, shares Tuieti, the lead in the group. They used to only sing church songs but have been recently choosing secular songs with good messages. The sisters agree that music is influential, so selecting music to sing with appropriate lyrics and no underlying meanings helps them avoid supporting certain ideas.
In the young women theme quoted each Sunday, the first line states “I am a daughter of loving Heavenly Parents.” It can be difficult to implement this principle in a world of conflicting standards and expectations, but Siva says that one way they stand by their standards is by wearing clothing on and off stage that is appropriate.
Lela adds that being in the entertainment industry means your every move is watched. The girls have to be careful about what they say, wear, and post, because their actions are representing them as disciples of Jesus Christ. Their good examples and willingness to talk about their beliefs make them witnesses of Christ everywhere they go.
“[My sisters] are my companions, and every performance is our mission. I feel like we’re always bearing testimony, regardless of the venue or the audience,” Lexi declares.
Polynesian Pride
The Tonga sisters hail from the country of Tonga, a small island in the Pacific Ocean. Living in Hawaii surrounds them with other Polynesians, but when traveling to the mainland United States, it’s harder to find people with the same ancestry as them.
“Sometimes we feel pressure to represent our people, but we mostly take pride,” Lela explains. The other sisters echo this. “I am so proud to be Tongan. To go out there and have people ask us, ‘So what are you guys?’ and [to be able to say] ‘I’m Tongan’ is the greatest thing ever. Just like you can share the gospel with others, you can share your culture. It really [influences] the way that we are.”
The sisters mention an experience they had when competing on America’s Most Musical Families. During their performance a judge wrote down two words on his paper: aloha spirit. He said he had no idea what it meant, but the sisters knew the significance of those words.
“It is such a big blessing to represent our culture, [not only with] having the last name Tonga but also with having the ‘aloha spirit,’ which is the love of God. Us sharing the ‘aloha spirit’ is just us sharing the gospel,” Siva says.
The Sixth Member of the Group
One could argue that the Holy Ghost is the unofficial sixth member of the group because he is included with every decision. The sisters pray before each performance. This gives them an extra boost of confidence as they fight off stage fright and nerves. Siva adds that they now pray after performances as well, to thank Heavenly Father for their talents and opportunities to use them to bless others.
Praying before performances was what began the tradition of also praying for what songs to sing. Lexi explains that each audience has a specific need, and by praying to know what music to select for a performance, they are able to best minister to those present. It’s a lot like when you pray in preparation for a talk to give in sacrament meeting. There have even been times when during the talks before their musical number one of the sisters receives a prompting about a different song to sing.
“Sometimes we come with a song prepared already [that we prayed about],” Lela says. “But when I’m sitting there, listening to a talk, sometimes I turn to my sisters and tell them ‘We’re gonna sing this song, I have a feeling that we should sing this song.’ … And they have the same song [in their head]. It’s reassurance that it’s the perfect song to sing at that time. I think that’s some of my favorite moments of us singing together is when we get promptings from the Holy Ghost of what song is appropriate for the event that we’re at.”
Defining Moments
The road to success is rarely straight and narrow. There have been several bumps and challenges as the sisters become more well-known online. “There was a moment in time when we were having a lot of hate pages made about us, individually, or even about my grandma or my mom. People were bashing us,” Tueti explains.
“It was hard to remain Christlike in that time,” Lexi admits. The other sisters nod in agreement.
“That was a defining moment because that’s when we realized that all we have is each other, and as long as we know who we are and what we do, who we sing for, the reason why we sing-- none of [the rest of it] matters,” Tueti says.
Another memorable time in the sisters’ past was when their silent prayers were answered-- but only after they did what the Lord wanted them to do first. They had a fireside on the other side of the island and their 15 passenger van didn’t have enough gas in it. Tuieti recalls being nervous about the situation, but that her mom never showed a hint of anxiety. “She had faith that we would be able to make it because we were on the Lord’s errand.”
After the girls sang and the fireside ended, a person from the congregation came up to their mother and handed her some money. “ [He said,] ‘I don't know why, but I just had the impression to give this to you. Thank you guys so much for coming.’” Lela says, remembering the moment clearly. The individual had no idea that they needed the money to buy gas for the drive home. “That’s just one of blessings that we get for singing and being obedient, not only to the Lord, but to our mom.”
Looking Forward
With half of The Tonga Sisters graduated from high school or about to, they have some planning ahead of them. They’ve mentioned before that they have ambitions for their individual education, with Stanford and medical school being a shared dream among several of them. But when it comes to singing they’re more comfortable with seeing where life takes them.
Siva says that she’s happy to pursue singing as a career, but is open to anything. A benefit for her to sing is that she’s able to share the gospel through something she loves, rather than talking, which makes her uncomfortable. Lela says she is especially grateful because their platform has provided them the chance to share the gospel and their Polynesian culture with a wider audience.
Their motivation for sharing their talents isn’t popularity, fame, or travel. Instead, they rely on personal revelation and the knowledge that if they are obedient Heavenly Father will guide them. Siva expands on this, saying, “If you continue to put the Lord in the center of your life, and if He’s the reason behind all the things that you do, and if you always think of Him, everything else will fall in line. Things don’t happen by coincidence, but by the Lord’s hand, whether they’re good or bad.”
“He is the reason why we sing,” Lela declares. It’s as simple as that.
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Alexsia has sung in several competitions in Tonga.
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The sisters’ favorite song to sing together is their mashup of Sweet Hour of Prayer/Did You Think to Pray?
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The Tonga Sisters made it to the semifinals on America’s Most Talented Families on Nickelodeon.
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Tuieti earned a basketball scholarship for Pierce College in Washington.
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Lela is deaf in her right ear so she always stands by Tuieti, the lead, during performances.
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Their favorite NFL team is the San Francisco 49ers.
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Their dream is to perform with Janice Kapp Perry.
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The sisters’ favorite places to sing are church events, like baptisms, firesides, and sacrament meetings.
DID YOU KNOW?
Who is most likely to...
Who is the funniest? Lela
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Who is most likely to fangirl over a celebrity? Siva
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Who gets the most nervous before a performance? Lexi
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Who is most likely to sing off-key accidentally? Tuieti
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Who takes the longest to get ready? Tuieti
What are the tonga sisters' favorite hymns?
Siva- Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel
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Tuieti- Faka’ofa Kiate Au (Tongan hymn)
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Lela- Because I Have Been Given Much
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Nini- I Know that My Redeemer Lives
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Lexi- How Great Thou Art