Born in 1959 in Barovon village near Kokopo in East New Britain Province, Telek is one of the few Papua New Guinean singers to gain an international following.
[1] Telek sang with various bands in Papua New Guinea early in his career - most notably with the contemporary Tolai group Painim Wok where he was the lead vocalist.
In 1989, Telek met David Bridie of the Australian band Not Drowning, Waving, and they recorded the album Tabaran, which was released in 1990.
The album sees a slight departure from his previous two efforts focusing on the more acoustic side of Telek's writing, featuring a mix of string band, Pacific roots pop and traditional Tolais songs.
This tour featured a range of the Melanesian artists including Not Drowning, Waving, Tony Subam, Pius Wasi, Albert David, Djakapurra, Frank Yamma and Airi Ingram.
Akave, released in 2010 was described by Limelight Magazine as "balancing respect for traditional village music with just enough technology to satisfy contemporary sensibilities" and as "The pop album of the year" by The Sunday Times UK.
[5] In 2016, Talek again joined with David Bridie for the project A Bit na Ta (Source of the Sea); a multimedia installation based on the lives of the Tolai people.