Growing up as a teenager in South Auckland was difficult for Hoseah Partsch.
The 19-year-old was raised, the oldest of four kids, by a single mum in the large, tight-knit Samoan community of Otara.
Their family had very little money, and several members were confined to a one bedroom apartment.
“My grandparents would be in the bedroom... My siblings would be in the sitting room... So it was pretty rough, but that didn’t stop us from living life and being happy," Mr Partsch told SBS News.
Partsch’s family moved to Australia in 2011. But it wasn't until the end of 2016 that he sang in public for the first time - an impromptu performance at a choral event at Melbourne's Dandenong High School.
Life dramatically changed for Mr Partsch, after he came second in singing contest The Voice in July 2017.
The musician was placed under the mentorship of global singer-songwriter Boy George.
"For someone like Boy George, an international music icon, to have faith in a kid from Auckland, that meant everything to me," Mr Partsch said.
His runner-up single Paper Planes was pushed straight to #3 on the Australian iTunes chart and climbed the iTunes Chart in the UK.
Empowering others through education
Mr Partsch wants to use his newfound success as a platform to empower others, by lending his voice to campaigns to improve the education standards for disadvantaged and vulnerable youth.
"Education is key in life," he said.
"Education will get you to the future you want to get to... Kids deserve to have an education, every little kid."
Sharing his story, Mr Partsch draws on his own experiences growing up as a disadvantaged youth in New Zealand.
"Some schools don't have uniforms, they go in their normal clothes. I went to school with no lunch, and it was really hard.
"Other kids go to school with no shoes, it's a bit struggle, and personally I don't want to see it happening now."
Samoan Musician Hoseah Partsch Source: Universal Music Australia
In May, he will perform at a charity event in the US to raise funds for schooling.
Once he's back in Australia, he said he hopes to do the same here.
"I'd really love to give back schools for those kids in need that are really struggling," Mr Partsch said.
He also plans to head back home to New Zealand to do the same.
