ʻO Maui ʻo Papa ʻo Papaikanīʻau ʻO Hāhō o ka lulu kaupakapaka Nāna ia wahi ʻo ʻĪao Na kāʻeʻaʻeʻa ia o laila ʻO Kalākauaʻehuakama No ka pela aliʻi o Wākea No loko o Haunaka ke aliʻi ʻO Kaualū o Loʻe ʻO ke kūmaka ʻalaneo ʻO Lāʻielohelohe o kala makua ʻO naha kapu a Piʻilaniwahine Puka mai ka maka o ka hai Piʻilani ʻO ʻOlepau, ʻo Kāulahea ʻO Kama ʻo Kamalalawalu No laila mai Keohokālole Nāna i hānau Kamakaʻeha Ke aliʻi nāna i kahiko o Maui lā Kāhiko i Kekaʻa ka ua Nahua He ua Nahua ua Lililehua Ua makaʻu pili ua Kauaʻula Ua noho i uka o wai a wai ʻehā He ao ʻole ia nei he naʻaupō He kiʻi ka hai nei a i waiho ai e ke ʻaʻe Kiʻina e ke kuko ala naʻina e Kamanaʻo Kuhikuhi i waena konu o ke kanaka Molale ia wahi akāka ke mana ia lā Nānā ʻia e Līhau i luna Waiho wale na Lono i ka mālie, e ala ē (instrumental music) Kilakila o Maui i ka roselani O ka ʻoi no ia e kaulana nei O ka wehi roselani, lei onaona He maʻu i ka ihu o ka malihini I ke kai kāua aʻo Kahului Lawaiʻa hukikolo, hukihuki mālie (musical break) Mahalo Haʻina e kawehi o ka roselani Haʻaheo o Maui no e ka ʻoi I was actually born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the deacon from Maui at Christ the King Church, he said, there's kids that needed to be adopted.

And so at that time, my mom said, hey, being that she couldn't give birth, naturally, her next choice was adoption.

And so Catholic Charities helped her come up to Arkansas and next thing, you know, six weeks old, I'm there on Maui.

(instrumental music) Kahului He wahi kaulana I ka ʻoi Me ke kai neʻe mai Neʻeneʻe mālie Kahului He wahi kaulana I ka ʻoi Me ke kai neʻe mai Neʻeneʻe mālie Ua ʻike aku wau Ike kai holuholu e Me na waʻa holo kai Holoholo mālie Ua ʻike aku wau Ike kai holuholu e Me na waʻa holo kai Holoholo mālie E hū ana ku makani Ka makani ʻonīnī Pā l ka ʻili e Ulupiʻi aʻela ke kino E hū ana ku makani Ka makani ʻonīnī Pā l ka ʻili e Ulupiʻi aʻela ke kino Ooo.... ooo... Hāʻina ʻia mai A ʻo Kahului ʻea Wahi kaulana I ka ʻoi Maui no ka ʻoi Hāʻina ʻia mai A ʻo Kahului ʻea Wahi kaulana I ka ʻoi Maui no ka ʻoi Maui no ka ʻoi Maui no ka ʻoi Yee haw!

My mother's name is Robin Naeʻole and my father is Raymond Fernandez.

And throughout my years of growing up, it was in the Hawaiian language immersion school.

So, this was during the time of the Renaissance.

My mother's younger siblings were teachers of the immersion schooling, and so they wanted us to all have that experience being they couldn't.

You know, from the beginning of class, we're chanting.

And then we honor Hawaiʻi with all the mele, hoʻōla ʻāina, music and songs that revitalize and teach us about the land that were surrounded by.

And through those experiences and dancing hula, I really just, that's where a lot of my energy was spent.

I usually often jokingly say, if I could have sung or danced all my assignments, I probably would get better grades.

(instrumental music) Ooo... Aia hoʻi i Molokaʻi Ka heke ao nā pua Me nā lei makamae e hāliʻaliʻa mai nei Aloha e Hina Molokaʻi nui a Hina Ooo... Aia i Hālawa Kaulana o Moʻoʻula Kū ka nani i ke awāwa E hoʻowali ia ka wai me ka moana aloha e Hina Molokaʻi nui a Hina Ooo... Aia i Pālāʻau Ka wahi kapu o ka leo Nanahoa ʻOluʻolu mai ka huʻihuʻi E ʻike iho iā Kalaupapa aloha e Hina Molokaʻi nui a Hina Hāʻina ʻia mai ana Ka puana ē Aloha e Hina Molokaʻi nui a Hina Ooo... Hāʻina ʻia mai ana Ka puana ē Aloha e Hina Molokaʻi nui a Hina Ooo... ooo... ooo... ooo Ooo...

When it comes to performing live, and being in the crowd, having the energy of the crowd also really helps.

But yeah, you obviously got to learn how to read the room as well.

But when you're in it, you know, when you're in it, you just, you just gotta go, you know, you just got to give it and I can say that I had, I had a few challenging moments, you know, challenging moments, entertaining, because it's either not everyone is into Hawaiian music, or maybe some people may not even relate or understand, you know, the story and but I do and have recognized that people were very enamored to the fact that I'm obviously not visually Hawaiian.

But being that I've been raised out here all of my life I carry the heart I carry the soul in the spirit of Hawaiʻi.

So, you know, in that sense, there has been so much support so much aloha.

And yeah, just go out there and represent Hawaiʻi as best as we can.

(instrumental music) Ba, da, ba Ba, da, da, dee, a, ba, da Da, da, da, dum, da dum, da dum (instrumental music) ʻAuhea wale ʻoe Mahina ʻo Hoku Hōʻike aʻe ʻoe I kou nani ʻAuhea wale ʻoe Mahina ʻo Hoku Hōʻike aʻe ʻoe I kou nani Ua laʻi nā kai Mehameha nā pali ʻO ʻoe a ʻo wau E hoʻoipoipo nei Ua laʻi nā kai Mehameha nā pali ʻO ʻoe a ʻo wau E hoʻoipoipo nei Haʻina kou inoa Mahina ʻo Hoku Ke noho nani maila Mauna lani kiʻekiʻe Haʻina kou inoa Mahina ʻo Hoku Ke noho nani maila Mauna lani kiʻekiʻe The process of being a falsetto singer is really having guts, first and foremost.

Having some guts and the will to want to be able to perpetuate a style.

For myself as I started, going out and performing more, it was a lot more connecting myself and pretty much doing my research listening to different singers.

Um, I don't only listen to Hawaiian music, there's so many genres of music out there that would help me, you know, I would imitate the sound and say, okay, that sounds good.

Can I do it?

Sure.

And then with the consistency, you know, I, I've been able to, to manage it somehow.

(instrumental music) He aloha no koali I ka nalu haʻi mai aʻo Kanewai Me ka lipoa paoʻa ala Anu makehewa kela He aloha no koali I ka nalu haʻi mai aʻo Kanewai Me ka lipoa paoʻa ala Anu makehewa kela E hoʻi ka ulu ia hale loke I ka hale lau o ka Iwaʻiwa Me na ʻiwa e walea ai Kikaha maile I kalaʻi la lae lae E hoʻi ka ulu ia hale loke I ka hale lau o ka Iwaʻiwa Me na ʻiwa e walea ai Kikaha maile I kalaʻi la lae lae Nani Wailua I ka ehu O ke kai I ka holu nape o ka lau o ka niʻu I kowelo haʻaheo hae Hawaiʻi Ku kilakila I ka laʻi la lae lae Nani Wailua I ka ehu O ke kai I ka holu nape o ka lau o ka niʻu I kowelo haʻaheo hae Hawaiʻi Ku kilakila I ka laʻi la lae lae Haʻina ia mai ana ka puana I ka nalu haʻi mai aʻo Kanewai Me ka lipoa paoʻa ala Anu makehewa kela Haʻina ia mai ana ka puana I ka nalu haʻi mai aʻo Kanewai Me ka lipoa paoʻa ala Anu makehewa kela Anu makehewa kela Anu makehewa kela Since I've been involved in, in the, in the music scene and the music biz, it's, it's actually I laugh sometimes.

And I surprise myself to think how far and how much experiences that I've had.

I even get a little choked up because it's, you know, really the blessing of akua, the blessings of God and being able to connect with so much people in that music.

That's what music does.

It connects us it keeps us going, you know, whatever situation and time that we're going through, but I'm just so grateful.

(instrumental music) One summer morning I took an early drive To watch the sunrise In the beautiful sky And as it was rising I saw all of my dreams On top of that mountain called Haleakalā Haleakalā A beautiful mountain Stands all alone So peacefully Haleakalā A beautiful mountain Stands all alone So peacefully I ʻia e piʻi nei ʻIke ʻia nā moemoeā Ma luna o e kuahiwi ʻO Haleakalā Haleakalā Kuahiwi kiʻekiʻe Kū hoʻokahi Me ka maluhia Haleakalā A beautiful mountain It stands all alone So peacefully It stands all alone So peacefully Stands all alone So peacefully Haleakalā He Hawaiʻi Au.

Ron Rosha, he is the composer of this Peter Moon with the instrumentation.

This song, you know, for a long time, I really didn't feel that I had the, the right to sing it because that line He Hawaiʻi Au which translates I am Hawaiian.

And I had some time to think about it, you know, but I'm, I'm not just representing this body.

I represent my ʻohana, who is Hawaiian.

And so that's that's really what that song means to me.

And you know, the travels, many of us travel all over the world.

We take in things from all different all different areas, but to remember where we come from, in the values that we have learned here in Hawaiʻi.

(instrumental music) He wahi leo mahalo iā ‘oukou āpau e kō Hawai’i.

Nui no’u mahalo i ke Akua A iā ‘oukou apau no ka paipai ʻana ia’u Keu ho’i iā Hawaiʻi no ka hānai mai ‘ana ia’u Eō!

a Aloha I ko’u ’ohana, ke aloha iā ‘oukou a mahalo piha I kēia pō eia au me ʻoe Kēia pō ua hoʻi mai au He loa ka helena ma ke ala hele E huli i wahi ma kēia ao Maopopo a ua ʻike hoʻi Ka home i loko o kuʻu puʻuwai Ua hoʻi mai au, ke ʻike nei au ʻAʻole au e ʻauana hou Ke maopopo he Hawaiʻi au Ke maopopo he Hawaiʻi au I’d like to take this time to introduce this wonderful musicians I share the stage with this evening.

To my, my far right, is the lovely Pohai Dias.

Cousin, from the island of Maui.

And to my near right, I know her as Liz Tita, also from the island of Maui.

Yee haw!

And last but certainly not least, the musician on stage, the wonderful and talented Shania Lee.

Yee haw!

Hailing from Maui.

And we musn’t forget our lovely hula maiden as well.

Mahalo Mapuana.

We love you.

Ke maopopo he Hawaiʻi au Ke maopopo he Hawaiʻi au Ke maopopo he Hawaiʻi au Aloha!

This program was made possible by the Corportation for Public Broadcasting and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.