Fidelish Metta, commonly known as Filly, a junior from Papua New Guinea studying Pacific Island Studies and social work, shared her journey to BYU-Hawaii after placing 2nd at a major talent competition back in her home country.
Metta said her love for singing started when she was very young. Her earliest memory of her singing was when she was only 7 years old. When asked what the reason was behind her love for singing, Metta recalled, “I used to climb trees. I love climbing trees. I will go right to the top at the highest tree in our yard and I would be singing there, just singing for fun… It felt really nice for me. I love to do that because every time I would go up a tree and just sing. I guess it started from there.”
After serving an 18-month mission in Sydney, Australia, Metta competed in Vocal Fusion, a music show that features talented singers all over Papua New Guinea. It was the third season of the show in 2016. She said she saw an advertisement on TV for the competition and thought, ‘Oh, this is PNG’s biggest talent show’ and said, “At the time, I came out of my mission, so I was like, ‘Oh, [it’s] a good opportunity!’ And I was preparing to come here to BYU-Hawaii, so I just tried it out.”
Being the only member of the Church in the competition, Metta expressed how challenging it was at first with people who would question her beliefs. “I [would] go perform in a club every Wednesday… and all kinds of people come. You know, I’m not used to [that],” she said since she is a member of the Church.
“We have standards and I struggled a bit. I thought I was sinning or doing something wrong. But you know, I was sharing my talents. I wasn’t partaking of any alcohol and whatnot.” She then thanked her upbringing in the church for giving her strength. “I’m glad the church standards really helped me stay grounded.”
After more than 10 weeks of vocal training and mentoring, Metta secured a spot in the grand finale and finished 1st runner-up in the competition. Surrounded by talented peers as well, Metta shared, “It was more of a learning experience that motivated me to keep going.”
Princess Yau, from Hong Kong and a fellow colleague of Metta’s talked about how patient Filly is. “[She] can work under pressure and still be smiley. She still laughs and [she’s] still able to talk to people.”
Sam Clayton, a junior from Colorado and previous colleague of Metta’s also chimed in and shared, “She likes being in front of people and is happy making people happy. While I can tell that things aren’t always perfect, she doesn’t like letting things affect her negatively.”
Other than the vocal lessons and mentoring she received from the competition, Metta said she is thankful for the blessings she has received during and after the competition.
“I think one was the opportunity to make and build friendships, to learn from a mentor and a coach who really helped me to learn how to use my vocals. I was just singing, but I never really learned the techniques, breathing techniques and all of that, including warm ups,” she said. “I value that because now I know how to do warm ups, now I know how to breathe properly.”
Metta also talked about the opportunities she received from different companies and people after the competition. “I got an offer to do a cover – [to] model for this cover magazine, of this airline [called] PNG Airlines. But I came here. I got accepted so I had to just put those on hold.”
Despite the numerous job offers she had in Papua New Guinea, Metta still pursued her decision of coming to BYUH. Metta said she did not regret her decision to come here and said her family helped her see the importance of studying. She also shared how she still has her business cards for when she’s done with school so she can go back to Papua New Guinea and pursue music once again.
Performing for different events on campus such as weddings and social nights, people said they appreciate Metta’s singing and enthusiasm as she takes the stage. “[Singing has] blessed me a lot. One main thing about singing [is], I’m grateful to God every day, that He gave me a gift like this – to sing well. Not only has singing blessed me but also I have seen it bless other people and that’s the joy and blessing that singing brings to my life a lot, is to see other people so happy.
“You know, I have lots of friends saying, ‘Filly, one more. Sing! We want to hear you,’ and when they do that, I [think I] must be helping them with the sounds that I’m making and that’s so joyous. I really, really love that.”
Writer: Esther Insigne