In the liner notes to their 2020 release ‘Akilotoa – Anthology 1994-2006, which entered the Australian charts at number one, the first-ever #1 album by an Australian female duo – the much-loved, soulful Melbourne sisters say they are just hitting their stride, and “the time has come around for our next chapter to begin”.
Vika & Linda’s effortless harmonies and journey through rock, country, gospel, reggae, R&B, soul and blues, while always paying tribute to their rich Tongan heritage, has earned the respect and admiration of their greatest fans – the renowned Australian artists they’ve performed and recorded with, and whose work their voices have enhanced. Paul Kelly says “Their voices combined sound salty-sweet and have that elusive twinned quality you only get when siblings sing together ... They make the air beat in sync.”
Learning to sing at church, listening to joyous Tongan voices; three classic albums with The Black Sorrows; six studio and two live albums as a duo, including their ARIA-nominated double-platinum debut album; recording iconic albums with Archie Roach, John Farnham, Deborah Conway, Hunters & Collectors, Ross Wilson, Kasey Chambers; playing gigs for the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, the King of Tonga and 100,000 AFL Grand Final spectators; Special Recognition by the Pacific Music Awards in 2016; inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2019; their story in words and music in the acclaimed Between Two Shores at the 2019 Adelaide Cabaret Festival … impressive ‘chapters’ so far.