It's one thing to continue the preservation of Hawaiian culture, it's another thing entirely to embody that preservation. That's what 14-year-old Kauaʻi native Kamahaʻo Haumea-Thronas is doing — with his voice.
Listening to Kamahaʻo, you might think you're hearing a classic Hawaiian singer from the 1930s. But his latest single, "Kō I Manila," is from 2023.
The talented youngster speaks fluent Hawaiian and currently studies at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama on Oʻahu.
"I just try to do mele Hawaiʻi in its traditional form, while still adding my own flair to it, keeping it new, but not too new — always honoring the work that our kūpuna did," he said. "I might as well use my gift to the best of my abilities to share the stories of our kūpuna, their ʻike, and of course all their beautiful mele."
He made local headlines last year after going viral for his rollicking rendition of “Hawaiian Cowboy” during the school's song contest.
"I just find it's really important as a youth nowadays in this generation to have a love for Hawaiian music. There's not many that I know that love Hawaiian music and that'll be able to listen to it 24/7," Kamahaʻo told HPR.
On Sunday, he’ll be headlining a show in HPR's Atherton Performing Arts Studio as part of the station's Mele Hawaiʻi Performance Series during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian language month.
"We're just going to jam, have a really fun time sharing the mele of our kūpuna. We're going to go on a little journey across all eight islands, maybe do some hula classics. We'll probably have some special guests in the house. So it's going to be really really good fun."
Though he has quickly entered the Hawaiian music community, Kamahaʻo said he does not come from a professional music family.
"That was kind of something I did on my own and then going to Kaiapuni school, Hawaiian charter school, that helped as well. We would sing Hawaiian mele and things like that. So I think that's really what, yeah, brought the love for Hawaiian music to me," he said.
This story aired on The Conversation on Feb. 7, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Sophia McCullough adapted this story for the web.
