Jahsifik wins ABC’s Exhumed talent search

7-piece reggae band Jahsifik from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, were crowned Exhumed winners at last night’s Live Grand Final.

Band members Travis Te hau, Ngaire Taniora, Dave Pau, Megan Kareko, Rongo Keene, Mark Kaitamaki and Mark Tuulau performed at Rooty Hill RSL, while celebrity judges Tim Rogers, Clare Bowditch and Julia Zemiro chose from the 6 finalists.

Living and working in a mining town, Jahsifik’s day jobs include truck driver, scaffolder, bouncer, artist and childcare worker. The band see music as a way to remain connected to their Pacific Island roots – bringing their own island sound to the desert of WA. With family and culture as a focus, they see their band as “one big family.”

The ABC contest for unsigned, unrecorded, and even ‘unwanted bands’ hosted by James Valentine attracted 1,400 entries.