Maui’s Island Rock Musician Hananoʻeau Nominated for Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards

Island Rock musician Ka’imi Hanano’eau has been nominated to the final ballot for the 44th
Annual Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in the Alternative Album of the Year category for “Pohaku
Motu.”

This is Hanano’eau’s third nomination as a solo artist. The musician raised on Maui also was nominated in 2015 alongside his bandmates with the rock/reggae band, HiRiZ.

The award ceremony for Hawai’i’s most talented musicians, songwriters and producers will be held in September, “pandemic permitting.”

Hanon’eau was nominated in the alternative album with: Chroma (Vol. 1) by Sean Cleland (Sean Cleland Music LLC); Feels Like Home by Dustin Pacleb (Dustin Pacleb); Sanya by Sanya (No Label) and In Memory Of You by Layla Kilolu (No Label).

The complete list of the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards final ballots is here.

Hanano’eau’s recent album “Pohaku Motu” includes a modern take on classic Hawaiian Trio songs such as Dennis Kamakahi’s “Pua Hone” and Edith Kanakaole’s “Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai.”

Although Hanano’eau refers to his style as “island rock with an edge,” incorporating elements of rock guitar and metal percussion, the vocal delivery and song structure still hold to its original formats. With an alternative twist on Hawaiian classics, Hanano’eau hopes to break the boundaries on how Hawaiian music can be shared on a national and international scale.

Hanano‘eau is a singer/songwriter, musician and audio engineer. He is the nephew of Aunty Napua Stevens, a beloved Hawaiian entertainer, who helped with naming him “Ka‘imihanano‘eau,” which translates to “The constancy and diligent efforts by his ability to work, achieve, ponder and do with guidance, thus forth passing his knowledge and heritage from this generation to the next.”

Hanano’eau started playing ukulele at the age of five and got his first job at a Hula Halau/production company at age 14. By the time he graduated from high school, he had mastered the ukulele, bass, guitar, piano and Tahitian percussion. A graduate from Brigham Young University of Hawaii (BYUH) in La‘ie, he received a bachelor’s degree in Music and Hawaiian Studies and has trained in the Bel Canto style with the vocal instructor, Neva Rego.

For more information, visit his website.