Alo Key, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Missouri, USA, is currently touring New Zealand with Pacific music artist Spawnbreezie.
After performing a concert in Napier on Saturday 3 January, Mr Key spoke at a devotional meeting at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday 4 January.
Mr Key spoke about his upbringing as a young Samoan in Independence, Missouri. He was not engaged in his faith for several years as he pursued a career in music. He started out performing locally and then began sharing his talents through YouTube and Facebook.
Music was a dominant part of his life until 2011 when his family became the motivating factor for him to focus on strengthening his faith.
On Sunday evening he urged the youth in the audience to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
“I didn’t realize as a youth how simple and beautiful the gospel was until I returned as an adult,” he said.
Besides performing in live concerts, Mr key posts gospel-oriented messages and songs through his social media pages.
Church leader, Anthony Morley of the New Zealand Wellington Mission Presidency, stated in his closing remarks: “This was a great opportunity to re-emphasize the use of social media and our talents to share gospel messages with our friends.”