With an extended family history in entertainment, cousins Siaki Sii and Nancy Fifita, aka Fancy Nancy Fifita, are the newest emerging talent on a path to stardom. The Tonga born teens are accomplished actors, musicians, and dancers, Siaki best known for his role as Owens on ABC's “Blackish” and Nancy as Lacy in the film GILLYMUCK.

Beyond acting, Siaki and Nancy are performers at heart. Nancy co-wrote and recorded her first single "You So Fancy" at age nine, while Siaki gained his highest recognition as a Tahitian dancer, at the age of nine where he won Best Lead-Role Dancer at Tahiti Fete 2012.

In addition to entertainment, volunteering and hospitality is a long running familial value. The teen duo hosted the East Coast Prom and were celebrity guests at the West Coast Prom through Virtual Prom Live. They have assisted with over 300 events to raise money by using her talents to sing, perform or give service hours to scout service projects. Nancy was selected as the United States Ambassador for the Tongan Red Cross. Siaki performs annually for local senior centers since he was five, between Los Angeles and Utah. He also joins his Boys Scouts of America troop annually to place flags at the cemetery for all the fallen heroes. In addition to this, they joined forces to start their own organization, S & N (Siaki and Nancy Serving Those in Need), to give back! To learn more about this incredible family, please read our exclusive interview below.

Where are you two based?
Siaki & Nancy: We are based out of Los Angeles, California

How did you get interested in the entertainment industry?
Nancy: We grew up in a family that has a long history of entertainment. Our grandparents, Eteloma and Oloka Fifita, migrated from the island of Tonga to America, and one of the ways they were able to financially support the family was a Polynesian show. They employed family members as dancers, musicians and stage crew and helped them make a living here in America. We’ve been performing since we were little kids. I guess you can say the “apple didn’t fall too far from the tree”!

Siaki: I started off as a Polynesian dancer when I was seven years old and this is where it all started for me.

Your family must be insanely talented. You both act, sing, dance, and more! Did you grow up together performing?
Nancy: Yes, Siaki and I have been performing together since a very young age. From Polynesian dancing, singing, hosting events, to hip-hop dancing, you’ll always find us doing something together. Because of our grandparents passion for entertainment, we followed in their footsteps.

Siaki: Thank you! That’s so humbling to hear. I am blessed with our grandparents who I feel paved the way for where we are now. My grandparents legally migrated to the USA in the early 1960’s for a better opportunity. They created a Polynesian dance troop called “The Friendly Islanders” for income, and were very successful for many years.

Dances were choreographed by our grandma Oloka Sekona Fifita, who also casted her own group, made all the costumes, played most of the instruments in the group alongside with our late grandfather Eteloma Fifita, who was the group’s known “Nafa drummer”. Our grandma was also part of the entertainment and sang back up vocals with the band. She cast most of her group of family members who were in college to help them pay for their college tuition. In the late 1970’s, she entered her group on a TV show called “The Gong Show” that aired on NBC, where her group won that show series that year. Our grandparents’ group landed a contract and performed weekly at Beachcomber, located in New Port Coast, for a few years. So I would say we are sincerely blessed to inherit some of that talent. I am very humbled and grateful for such blessings.

Nancy, you recorded your first single "You So Fancy" at age nine. Can you talk about that?  How did you end up making a full song so early in your career?  I’m guessing this is where your name “Fancy Nancy” comes from?
Nancy: I was told I always loved dressing up and wearing fancy things growing up as a baby.  I was obsessed with shiny things, the more bling it had, the more I loved to wear it. So, my Uncle nicknamed me “Fancy Nancy”, and it stuck ever since lol.

At a young age, I was always making up song lyrics and singing them around the house. “You So Fancy” was my very first single that I co-wrote and recorded when I was nine years old.  I’ll never forget that experience because it was also the very first time I had a sit-down meeting with a team I really wanted to work with, known as Analea and J Fotu. My mother and I flew to Utah to meet with them and I remember when the meeting started my mother turned to them and said “this meeting is between you guys and Nancy, I’m just her Uber driver”. That was her way of telling me to take control and sell them on my ideas. It was a sink or swim situation, but I wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away. What I really appreciated about Analea and J Fotu was the level of respect they showed me during the meeting, considering I was only nine years old. I was so nervous, but I had to step up to the plate and do what I needed to do to get them to want to work with me. They took into consideration everything I wanted to do and gave me the opportunity to learn and grow with them. Til this day, I’m forever grateful for that experience because it taught me so much about the music industry early on in my career.

Nancy, you're best known for your role as Lacy in the film GILLYMUCK. Can you tell us a little bit about this experience?
Nancy: Working on the film “Gillymuck” was so much fun! The cast and crew made my experience on set amazing. It was an honor to work with director Dan Samiljan.

Siaki, you play Owen in ABC’s BLACK-ISH. Can you tell us a little bit about being on this hit show?
Siaki: Landing my very first co-star role for this specific episode was definitely exciting to say the least. The cast and crew are amazing and it’s an experience that would last me a lifetime. This is where I was truly inspired and had the desire to sincerely make this a life-changing journey for me by working harder as an actor.

Siaki, what was it like transitioning from being a dancer to an actor? Will dance be your first love?
Siaki: I feel that both dancing and acting go hand in hand. You have to love both! As a dancer you are taught to feel the dance, perform and relay it to your audience in a way they could feel your story through your dance and motions.

Same thing with acting. You have to bring a character to life through your acting skills of emotions and feelings so that it can appear as real as possible to the viewers. When I’m dancing, I’m not only using feelings and emotions, I am showcasing a character as a dancer, and when acting, I’m creating a believable character. This is why I believe you have to love both. Because it requires you to do both in both worlds of dance and acting! If that makes any sense.

Jejune loves how active you both are in humanitarian work. Is giving back important to your family? How did you both get involved in volunteering?
Nancy: Absolutely.

Our passion for serving others began in the four walls of our homes and stems from our upbringing. We grew up in a home that instilled love for serving others in big and small ways. So we’ve been serving since we were little kids. My family and I were recently selected to be on HGTV’s Extreme Home Makeover – Home Edition Show. Our episode was entitled “The Favorite Neighbors” and aired on March 22, 2020. We could have never imagined that what we did on a daily basis would give us this huge blessing.

Siaki: Humanitarian work is extremely important in our family. We have grown up all our lives in a family that believes in serving ALL those who are in need. Our grandparents instilled that into our parents’ lives, and our parents instilled that into our lives. It’s also extremely important as cultural Polynesians. It’s a lifestyle for us that seems to be normal. We were always taught to share, to love and to give back not only within our families, but also within the community.

You both do a ton of different volunteer work, but you started an organization together, S & N (Siaki and Nancy Serving Those in Need). Can you tell us a little bit about S & N and what inspired you two to join forces and start it?
Siaki: We were always volunteering our time and giving back to various organizations and events, and we decided to start our own organization as a duo so we could do things our way by adding a piece of our Polynesian cultural art form into others’ lives, whether it was through song or dance. It was important to share a bit of ourselves with all those we come into contact with.

Nancy: S & N stands for Siaki and Nancy Serving Those in Need. Our mission statement is simple, “the Power of 2 x’s You can make a difference by bringing hearts and hands together to serve those in need”. We’re first cousins, but our relationship is like brother and sister. We literally do everything together. We’ve been serving others our entire lives. As little kids, we were always serving through individual projects, with our families and through other charities. We did it so much we were inspired to join forces. Together we’re dedicated to carrying out our mission statement. We’ve served the Boys Scouts of America – Thunderbird District, since we were little kids. To date, we’ve assisted with over 300 events to raise money by using our talents to sing, perform or give service hours to scout service projects. We’ve also had the blessing of being selected as the United States Ambassador for the Tongan Red Cross. We were both born in the beautiful island of Tonga and this is our way of giving back to our Island Kingdom while living here in America. Listed are other organizations and events that we love to support because they mean so much to us.

Special Olympics
Justice for Homicide Victims
Naji
Inspire Cali
NuSkool Sings Old School (serving under-privileged kids)
Just Serve
Make A Wish
Dream Beyond Foundation
When the River’s Rising Benefit Concert for Hurricane Victims
Operation Gratitude
Children Uniting Nations
Gente Unidos concert for Hurricane Relief in Puerto Rico
Operation Shoes from Santa
Alexandria House
Tonga Red Cross
Boys Scouts of America

With COVID, many things have been canceled, including Prom! However, you two hosted the East Coast Prom and were celebrity guests at the West Coast Prom for Virtual Prom Live. Can you tell us a little bit about this experience? How were you still able to make Prom special?
Nancy: First of all, we just want to say “Congratulations to the Class of 2020 all around the world”! We really wanted to be a part of #VirtualPromLive #SaveProm because we have so many family members and friends who were affected by the whole pandemic situation. We just wanted to be a part of creating fun memories for them. We had such a blast dancing the night away and meeting new people!

Siaki: I think for me personally, it was extremely important to participate in Virtual Prom because I never had the opportunity to attend one. I want to thank Key Elements PR for making it all happen. It was such a fun experience and I hope that we made it fun for all those who participated. I was able to make Prom special by actively participating and dressing up. It set the mood for the full effect of Prom.

Shelter in place is a weird time. Obviously you both worked with Virtual Prom Live, but are you finding other ways to give back during this time?
Nancy: It’s definitely a weird time, but it’s also a good time to give back and pay it forward. There are still so many ways and projects you can get involved with to spread positivity and give back to the community.

Siaki: I personally have been making essential baskets with the help of my parents and giving them to families. As we know, it was hard to get a few items when the pandemic first started. In these baskets I made, it had toilet paper, sanitizing wipes, sanitizer, Lysol wipes, disinfectant spray, wipes, soap, emergenC vitamin packets and more. It was nice to see the facial expressions on faces when I would drop off the baskets. We gave them to families who had kids and to the elderly homes in our community. My parents are essential workers, and after work my parents would go shopping to create these baskets. I am grateful to give back. That was essential for me because these are tough times.

How has shelter in place changed your lives?
Nancy: Shelter in place has definitely put things into perspective and helped with prioritizing what’s most important in life. I’ve enjoyed spending quality time with my family and refocusing my focus on my career path. It has forced me to think outside the box and definitely helped me come out of my comfort zone.

Siaki: It has changed my life in so many ways. It slowed it down, that's for sure. It helped me focus on my work as a music artist, helped me create music and spend lots of time with those I love most. I am eating healthier meals because we have the time to actually prepare a hot home meal and I have had the opportunity to focus and prioritize my goals and dreams.

You both are so active. How are you staying fit and in top performance during this?
Nancy: Staying fit has always been a #1 priority. My dad finally finished his home gym and we’re able to work out anytime we want now.

Siaki: I am staying active through virtual training with a personal trainer three days a week. It has helped me to purchase work out items on-line to work out from my own home, which is pretty cool. I’m also taking all my dance classes virtually on line so I’m still getting the dance skills I need to continue to grow. I miss being in the studios though.

How are you staying positive during these times?
Nancy: Being around my family has been a blessing. As a family, we’re setting goals, achieving them and above all staying positive for each other. We’ve been blessed so we can’t complain. We can only recognize the blessings and are thankful each day.

Siaki: I am staying positive by staying actively involved with all my vocal, dance, acting and piano classes virtually. I have more time to work on each class and practice. It’s going well.

What is your motto in life?
Nancy: Be True To Yourself – In this life it’s so easy to lose your identity and your purpose in life with what everyone else thinks you should be or do. I always reflect back on my parents’ teachings, my culture, values and goals and stay true to who I am and who I want to be!

Siaki: My motto that I’m truly inspired and live by is: “Faith Protects, Hope Renews and Love Strengthens”. With these three things, we shall always succeed. I was always taught to have Faith, but it’s not enough to just have Faith. I need to hope and work hard towards my hopes and, with that, it definitely gives me the strength that I need to overcome challenges I may face from time to time. I have this in my room. It is the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning and the last when I go to bed. It helps me remember my purpose.

To learn more about Siaki Sii And Fancy Nancy Fifita, please follow them via the below platforms:
Website: www.siakisii.com
Instagram: siakisii
Facebook: siakisii03 and coconutwire

Website: nancyfifita.com
Instagram: sandn_coconutwire
Instagram: fancynancy.fifita and nansei.music
Twitter: nancyfifita02
Facebook: fancynancy fifita

Photo credit by Lisa Fifita.

Siaki Sii And Fancy Nancy Fifita: A lineage Of Entertainment And Magnanimity