Ta'u Pupu'a is one of nine siblings. His family originally from the Kingdom of Tonga emigrated to Salt Lake City. Ta'u at 6'5", earned a full-ride scholarship to play defensive line for the local Weber State University football team. His football career continued to provide promise. In 1995 he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns (soon to be the Baltimore Ravens). Unfortuantely, that's as far as he got.

During his time with the NFL, Ta’u broke the arch in his foot, effectively ending his football career as quickly as it began. Ta’u was forced to consider a different future for himself, so he moved to New York City in a leap of faith. A lucky encounter with a Polynesian opera singer led him to try out for Juilliard, and thus his new career as an internationally renowned opera tenor was born. Ta’u’s story is one of overcoming adversity and starting over again, this time stronger than ever.