Megan Alatini
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Megan Bronwinne Alatini (née Cassie, born 29 September 1976) is a South African-born, New Zealand pop singer, actress and television personality. She rose to fame in New Zealand on the reality television series ''
Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...
''. She went on to become a member in the girl group
TrueBliss TrueBliss were a New Zealand pop girl group formed in April 1999. The band were formed on the popular television show ''Popstars'', which aired on TVNZ's TV2 channel for nine weeks in the search for a new girl group. TrueBliss were the first e ...
. She is also known for portraying the part of
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
in the popular sci-fi series '' The Tribe''. Later she gained more exposure appearing as a judge on ''
New Zealand Idol ''New Zealand Idol'', also known as ''NZ Idol'', was the New Zealand version of the ''Idol'' series which originated in the United Kingdom as '' Pop Idol''. New Zealand first saw the ''Idol'' format when TV2 aired '' American Idol 2'', which gar ...
''.


Early life

Alatini was born in
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
,
Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope (), commonly referred to as the Cape Province () and colloquially as The Cape (), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa. It encompassed the old Cape Co ...
, South Africa, as the first child of Barbara and Daniel Cassie. She spent the first eleven years of her life there, until her family relocated to New Zealand in 1987. She enrolled in
Papatoetoe High School Papatoetoe High School (PHS) is a secondary school (years 9–13) in Papatoetoe suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. History Papatoetoe High School was established in 1956. In February 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, cases of CO ...
in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, becoming a prefect and being considered a good student and role model. At age 17 she met Pita Alatini, a future New Zealand All Black rugby player, and began dating him. She soon became pregnant – her future plans of going to University were disrupted, and on 13 May 1995, her daughter Tonica was born. Megan loved singing from an early age and considered it a part of her culture. Through Pita, she also became fluent in Tongan.


Career

Her family encouraged her to audition for ''
Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...
'' in early 1999, and, much to her astonishment, she made the cut and eventually became a member of
TrueBliss TrueBliss were a New Zealand pop girl group formed in April 1999. The band were formed on the popular television show ''Popstars'', which aired on TVNZ's TV2 channel for nine weeks in the search for a new girl group. TrueBliss were the first e ...
, the first band ever to be formed out of ''
Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...
''. The five girls went on to cut a #1 single followed by a #1 album, before they (unofficially) parted in late 2000. In February 2000, Alatini married her long-time boyfriend Pita, who had proposed to her on her 24th birthday. She also formed a singing group with her sisters and made various singing appearances all over New Zealand throughout the years. In late 2001, she recorded several songs with her sisters, some of which have been released on the ''Abe Messiah: New Edition'' album. Alatini has also enjoyed a lively career as an actress. She started off with guest stints on ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
'' and ''
Young Hercules ''Young Hercules'' is a prequel series to the television series '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' that originally aired on Fox Kids Network. After a pilot film aired on Feb. 17, 1998, the series premiered on September 12, 1998 and ended on ...
''. Her actress sister
Meryl Cassie Meryl Danielle Cassie (born 2 April 1984) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She has three children, a son, Rylon born in 2006 and two daughters Breeze (Born 18 October 2013) and Diaz (born 2015). She is most famous for her role as Ebony in t ...
helped her and her younger sister Monique land parts as core characters in '' The Tribe''. In addition, she played Dr. Leggz in the wacky comedic drama series '' Atlantis High''. Soon after filming ended, Alatini gave birth to her second daughter named Tiara. In 2005, she delivered her first son, Trey. From 2003 to 2006, Alatini lived in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, Japan with her husband, where he plays
rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...
, and their three children. On 12 May 2006, it was announced that Alatini had accepted the offer of becoming a judge on the panel of the forthcoming third season of ''New Zealand Idol''. In 2007, Megan appeared on the third season of ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
'' in New Zealand, where she placed runner-up. In mid 2008, along with Pita and her three children, she moved back to Japan so he could play rugby union. They visit New Zealand often. In March 2011, Megan and her family were affected by the Japanese 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami where they were evacuated from their home. They were safely transported back to New Zealand approximately 1 week after the disaster occurred. In 2014, she became a flight attendant with
Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 28 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily within the Pacific Rim. The airline h ...
.


Discography


Albums

*1999: ''Dream'' - #1 NZ (TrueBliss) *2003: ''Abe Messiah: Remix'' (The Tribe, Yugeslavian release only)


Singles

*1999: "
Tonight Tonight may refer to: Television * ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC * ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...
" - #1 NZ (highest selling single of the year) (True Bliss) *1999: "Number One" - #12 NZ (TrueBliss) *1999: "Freedom" (TrueBliss)


Filmography


Starring roles

*1999: ''
Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...
'' as herself *2001: '' Atlantis High'' as Dr. Leggz *2001–03: '' The Tribe'' as Java *2006: ''
New Zealand Idol ''New Zealand Idol'', also known as ''NZ Idol'', was the New Zealand version of the ''Idol'' series which originated in the United Kingdom as '' Pop Idol''. New Zealand first saw the ''Idol'' format when TV2 aired '' American Idol 2'', which gar ...
'' as judge *2007: ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
'' as contestant


Guest roles

*1992: ''
Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand Prime time, prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, be ...
'' *1999: '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' *1999: ''
Young Hercules ''Young Hercules'' is a prequel series to the television series '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' that originally aired on Fox Kids Network. After a pilot film aired on Feb. 17, 1998, the series premiered on September 12, 1998 and ended on ...
'' as Sea Nymph in the episode 'Apollo'


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alatini, Megan 1976 births Living people South African emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand television actresses People from George, South Africa New Zealand Idol Participants in New Zealand reality television series 21st-century New Zealand women singers People educated at Papatoetoe High School