She used to sing Houston's hit "The Greatest Love of All" as she played around her house in West Valley City. She watched Houston's videos on MTV. In kindergarten, she won an honorable mention award when she drew a picture of herself singing onstage. The drawing project was titled, "If I could change the world . . . I'd be a singer."

"Singing is something I've always wanted to do," said Taumoepeau, 26, of Farmington.

She spent years singing with friends on the playground and at community events. After graduating from West High School, she performed with a local reggae group for two years. In 2005, after a trip to visit family in Tonga, she returned to Utah determined to build a singing career.

This week, Taumoepeau will perform at two Salt Lake-area events to mark the release of her second CD, "Unaloto Ki Pulotu," a collection of traditional songs that Taumoepeau sings in Tongan. Proceeds from album sales - available for $10 at local Polynesian stores - will be donated to the Tongan Red Cross Society. "Because the songs aren't mine, we wanted to give it back to Tonga," she said.

Taumoepeau, who was born and raised in Utah, thinks about how her life might have been different if her parents hadn't migrated from Tonga in the late 1960s. "Being born and raised in the U.S. and then going back, you definitely see the benefits," said the singer of her experience visiting her family's native country. "It's good to give to a country that doesn't have what you have here."

Taumoepeau started singing as part of a two-woman group called 676 in 2005. Now, as a solo act, she kept the 676 after her name because the number is the telephone country code for Tonga, just one way to identify where she's from.

For Taumoepeau, music is a cultural and family affair. She's from a musical family, the youngest of seven children. When she was 11, Taumoepeau sang publicly for the first time with her sister in front of the congregation at her church, before going on to perform at junior-high talent shows and in the high-school choir. One friend, Sharon Jones, 27, said she's loved Taumoepeau's voice since they met through friends 12 years ago. Now after buying her first album and going to her concerts, Jones said she's a huge fan. "She's so soulful," Jones said. "She sings from the heart. She's true to her roots and proud of her heritage."

In summer 2005, Taumoepeau released her first single, "When You Need Me," which she wrote for her 10 nieces and nephews. She released her first CD, "Movin' On," a mix of reggae, R&B and hip hop, in August 2006.

Taumoepeau, who also works as a full-time secretary, is recording her third album with the help of her brother Duke. She keeps singing because fans say her songs have touched their lives. "It makes you realize how powerful music is," she said.

jsanchez@sltrib.com

CD party

* NETI TAUMOEPEAU 676 and The Kolokakala Band CD release party will be from 8 to 9 tonight at the Lanikai Grill Hawaiian Barbecue, 1072 W. 10600 South, Sandy. The event is free; proceeds from sales of the album "Unaloto Ki Pulotu" will be donated to the Tongan Red Cross Society.

* MANA POLY ALL STARS, Natural Roots, Neti Taumoepeau 676 and The Kolokakala Band will play at 9 p.m. Saturday at The Paladium, 615 N. 400 West, Salt Lake City. Tickets, $10, are available at the door.