The Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts Airs Hōkū Nights Episodes

With a commitment to keep Hawai‘i’s music and mo‘olelo alive, the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts presents a new talk story and concert series, Hōkū Nights. Every first Friday of the month from 8-9 p.m. on KFVE, Hōkū Nights features music and interviews from Hawai‘i’s music legends and emerging recording artists.

Hosted by McKenna Maduli from Hawai‘i News Now’s Talk Story, Hōkū Nights on Dec. 3 includes Ei Nei, Tavana, and Sean Na‘auao. Tune in to hear what they’ve been up to since the pandemic started, why music is important to them, and some of the driving forces behind their mele.

“The entire music industry – from artists, to live production crews, to studio crews, and even our local instrument luthiers and technicians – have suffered greatly due to the pandemic and lack of work,” said Dane Fujiwara of Ei Nei, winner of the 2020 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards’ Most Promising Artist of the Year.

“While we missed the financial boost from concerts and shows in Japan and overseas, we’ve been able to let our creative juices flow writing and working on new material that people will soon be able to enjoy. A lot of necessary changes and recalibration have happened to get back to gigging and it was a pleasure to be able to spend time with the other artists backstage while filming Hōkū Nights,” he said.

Hōkū Nights was filmed at the Entrepreneurs Sandbox in Kaka‘ako – a space designed to inspire and support the 54,000 creatives in the state of Hawai‘i, 17,000 of which are performing artists.

“We are so thrilled to partner with HARA to bring this show to life, put people to work, generate new forms of income, and showcase entertainment that you cannot match anywhere else in the world,” said Georja Skinner, Chief Officer of the Creative Industries Division in the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

A special mahalo to The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association, Fabbit, Department of Economic Business and Development, Creative Industries Hawai‘i, HTDC, and Music & Entertainment Learning Experience for their commitment to honor Hawai‘i’s talented artists.