Apparently, and this is only according to a wad of hyperbole-filled guff that has accompanied the announcement New Zealand boy band Titanium is heading this way, Shaquille Paranihi-Ngauma is the quiet one of the group.
Still, given harmony is a prerequisite of any self-respecting boy band, it's probably for the best if at least one member has the nous to not talk over the rest, particularly if that line-up stretches to six.
His band might be the product of a radio station competition, his music might be custom-built for the 'tweens and teens who dial into the shiny-bright production of R 'n' B-influenced pop, he might be particularly well preened of late, and he might have been given some advice on dealing with the media, but Shaquille (better known as Shaq) has a phone patois that, thankfully, is anything but slick.
Calling during a break from rehearsals in Auckland earlier this week, Shaq admits he's a bit nervous about Titanium's forthcoming national tour, which includes a show at Otago Boys' High School on Friday, October 12.
He's slightly anxious because he knows he and fellow members Zac Taylor, Jordi Webber, Haydn Linsley, Andrew Papas and another who only goes by the name "T.K." will be required to transfer the studio polish of debut single Come On Home to the stage.
Come On Home quickly reached No 1 on the iTunes (NZ) chart on its release just over a fortnight ago and, as of earlier this week, the track was sitting at No 3 on the RIANZ chart, after it had topped the list the previous week.
Chart success is unsurprising - almost guaranteed, in fact - when your band is the result of collaboration between a mainstream radio station (which thus provides airplay aplenty) and a record label with some notable expertise among its ranks.
Titanium is the progeny of New Zealand record label Illegal Musik, which specialises in R 'n' B, and The Edge, a Mediaworks radio station whose target audience age is between 15 and 39. On July 9, the station launched its boy band competition, appealing "to guys aged 16-29 seeking fame, fortune and unadulterated adoration".
Following online applications, live auditions were held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Auditions were then posted online and the public invited to vote, though the judging panel also included Vince Harder (songwriter, performer, recording artist and vocal coach) and Mark Arona, the head of Illegal Musik.
The top 10 were flown to Auckland where they took part in a "boy band camp" that featured choreography lessons with New Zealand R 'n' B artist J. Williams (like Harder, he is on Illegal Musik's artist roster), singing lessons and obligatory styling and grooming tips.
"It was a competition so every day someone would get eliminated," Shaq explains.
"Until the last day, there were seven of us. Finally, six of us got chosen.
"As soon as we were selected, we got straight into it. We got 'fashioned', did interviews and the next day we went into the recording studio. It only took about three hours to do the song.
"A lot of people will be thinking that [how the group will come across live], but I'm confident we can deliver and make it a great show," he says of Titanium's forthcoming tour.
"Our set will go for about 40 minutes. Other guests [J.Williams, K.One, Brooke Duff and DJCXL] will perform, making it a two-hour show. I think we'll be doing about eight or nine songs. There are three originals, and the rest are covers, but they are our renditions. One is It Girl by Jason Derulo.
"We know all our parts. It's quite easy for us because we all have good ears and can hear the harmony as soon as we hear the song. It is mainly three or four-part harmonies. If we did six-part harmonies it would sound barbershop and we don't want to be a barbershop group."
The official video for Come On Home features scenes of the six band members singing atop a hill with the various waterways of Auckland glistening in the twilight (or is that pre-dawn?), hamming it up in the studio and working out during some team-building exercises.
It's all a far cry from other videos featuring Shaq. Take a look on YouTube; there are more than a few: there he is on a beat-up guitar, complete with heavily taped edges to hold together its front and sides and a fretboard that has seen better days, singing stripped-back renditions of NSYNC's Bye Bye Bye or Justin Bieber's Never Let You Go.
Elsewhere he can be seen dancing at a Te Kuiti festival, he and a couple of mates letting rip with their best dance moves in front of an audience comprising kids and Maori elders alike. He moves with a fluidity that belies his long and lanky frame and his outfit of white jeans and chambray shirt suggests he comes from a Hamilton household of humble means.
"People say I'm the dancer of the group," Shaq says with pride but without a trace of vanity.
"I'm grateful just to be doing my thing on the stage. J. Williams choreographed our single, but me, Jordie and T.K. have choreographed some of the other songs.
"I was brought up watching a lot of Michael Jackson. I'm from quite a big family. My dad used to be one of the best break-dancers in New Zealand. He used to battle in the streets. He doesn't want me to tell the media his name though."
Shaq says he has always dreamed of becoming a professional singer ("For now, New Zealand's the place to start ..."). Whether that happens remains to be seen. In the meantime, he's happy enough to work on his moves, his voice, even his own songs, as well as don clothes he otherwise couldn't afford.
"We all come from families that really aren't that rich so it's nice to get some new clothes. Some of the items cost, like, a hundred bucks."
Already his younger brothers are eying up certain items.
They'll have to wait until they are discarded.
Ah, the cyclical nature of the business.
See them
Titanium plays the following venues in the South:
• Timaru Theatre Royal, Tuesday, October 9
• Oamaru Theatre Royal, Wednesday, October 10
• Stadium Southland, Invercargill, Thursday, October 11
• Otago Boys' High School, Dunedin, Friday, October 12
