Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inbox We have more newsletters Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inbox We have more newsletters It's been 14 years since the world lost New Zealand star and OMC frontman, Pauly Fuemana, who was behind one of the biggest '90s hits, How Bizarre. The catchy tune topped the charts in six countries and spent a whopping 36 weeks on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40. However, despite his meteoric rise to fame, Pauly's life was marred by tragedy and hardship, leading up to his untimely death in 2010 at the tender age of 40.
Born in one of New Zealand's most deprived areas, Pauly found himself entangled with gangs, law enforcement and minor criminal activities. But music was always Pauly's passion. While serving time in a youth detention centre, he formed the rap group Otara Millionaires Club with his older brothers Phil and Paul, a name that ironically highlighted the poverty-stricken status of their neighbourhood.
Initially, the group dabbled in rap before transitioning to a South Pacific style of music. Musician and producer, Alan Jansson saw potential in OMC, and began recording with the trio. They signed to an indie label called Huh Records and released How Bizarre as a single and the title track of their debut album in 1995, catapulting them to global stardom, reports the Mirror .
Despite his success, Pauly was often labelled a one-hit wonder, as none of his oth.