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10 Iconic US Musicians from Hawaii

The state is famed for its great beaches and waters that are ideal for surfing.  It also has a great music selection that is a combination of popular sounds and traditional ones. Therefore, this makes for a unique sound that captures the attention of the audience. However, there are also other genres of music in Hawaii that are doing really well. 

Therefore, there will be some musicians from this state that will make it big within the music industry.  This article will look at those artists that come from Hawaii that have made it as singers and have made an impact.

1. Bruno Mars

The famous singer is called Peter Gene Hernandez but goes by the name Bruno Mars for his music career. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. The singer, producer and entrepreneur is well known for his showmanship during his performance and music videos and thus capture the attention of fans all over the world.

He started his career in 2004 and was released and featured in many singles but the notable one was Uptown Funk which he released in 2014 featuring Mark Ronson. The song topped many charts in the US and the UK. In 2016, he released an album known as 24K Magic which won him seven Grammys. He has sold over 130 million records globally and thus making him one of the bestselling musicians of all time.

2. Jack Johnson

The American singer majorly does soft rock and acoustic pop genres. He rose to fame after releasing an album known as Brushfire Fairytales. His next album which he released in 2006 and another one in 2008 made it to the Billboard 200 chart.

Having almost all of his songs on the Billboard chart make him one of the iconic musicians in that more people will know of his songs and thus increase his popularity and fan base.

3. Yvonne Elliman

The American Singer, songwriter and actress are one of the iconic musicians that come from Hawaii. She was born in Honolulu and sings disco and pop. Her music peaked when she was in the cast of the stage musical known as Jesus Christ Superstar and made some hits in the 70s. Her song known as ‘If I Can’t Have You’ was number one on the Billboard chart and ninth on the adult contemporary chart. She took a break from the music industry in the 90s but made a comeback in 2004.

4. James Mercer

The 51-year-old singer and guitarist comes from Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the founder of an indie rock group known as The Shins and is also the remaining member. They released a self-titled album with a producer known as Danger Mouse and another one called After Disco. His songwriting skills coupled with his ability to sing makes him an iconic musician as he ensures he writes content that people can relate with.

5. Michael Bishop

The 53-year-old singer started his music career in 1984 and is still present to date. He began performing and singing on his mother’s television show when he was five years old. He plays genres like heavy metal, punk, hard rock and shock rock. He was famous for being the lead vocalist and bassist for his band known as Kepone until they broke up. Michael also has a PhD in Music which makes him knowledgeable about the trends and issues in the music industry and thus makes him one of the most powerful musicians.

6. Jake Shimabukuro

He is an American composer who was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is famous for his expertise in playing the ukulele and composing exquisite sounds. His music has elements of funk, jazz, rock, classical folk, flamenco and blues. He started his career in 1998 and is still active.  Furthermore, some of his compositions have been used as soundtracks for two Japanese films known as Hula Girls which came out in 2007 and Saidoweizu which was released in 2009.

His international reach has allowed him to collaborate with famous musicians.  He even has an award-winning documentary that tells more about his life, career and music that was released in 2012

7. Daniel Ho

He is also a composer and a musician that specialises in ukulele, slack-key guitar and Hawaiian music. He has 18 solo albums with some having been nominated for Grammy Awards and others having won. He has also produced more than 50 albums. This fact makes him one of the most iconic musicians of all time in that that is a lot of albums and therefore he has experience in the music industry.

8. Arthur Lyman

He was a marimba player and an American jazz vibraphone. He was born in 1932 in O’ahu, Hawaii and was famous during the 1950s and 1960s. He was in a group that played the faux-Polynesian style of music that was later called Exotica. His music career started in 1948 and ended in 2002 when he died.

9. Mike Starr

The iconic musician was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was known as the original bassist in the rock band known as Alice in Chains. The band had signed with Columbia Records and had the great commercial success that they were doing tours across the country. He continued with his music career until 2011 when he was found dead in his home from a drug overdose.

10. Bette Midler

The American singer, songwriter, actress and author has a career that spans over five decades. Throughout her career, she has received different awards and accolades that include three Grammy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, two Tony Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a nomination for the British Academy Film Award. She plays pop, musical comedy, and traditional pop and also uses the ukulele.