Carlson Kamaka Kūkona, III (born 1978 in

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is ...

), otherwise simply known as Kamaka Kūkona, is an American musician, vocalist, songwriter, record producer, ''

kumu hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form accompanied by chant (oli) or song ( mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visua ...

'' (hula teacher), and educator. In 2013, after years of recording, Kūkona, released his debut album, ''Hanu ʻAʻala.'' The album later went on to earn the ''Male Vocalist of the Year'' and the ''Most Promising Artist'' awards at the 2014 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards. Kūkona is one of only six Hawaiian musicians to be awarded both awards on a debut music album. The success of ''Hanu ʻAʻala'' earned a nomination in the 57th Annual

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for the

Best Regional Roots Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 as the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the regionally based traditional Americ ...

. At the time, Kūkona was the only Hawaiian music artist nominated for the category. Due to the merger of multiple regional roots music categories into the Best Regional Roots Music Award in 2011, ''Hanu ʻAʻala'' faced increasing odds in the category historically dominated by Louisiana Cajun music. The album ultimately did not win the Grammy Award. In 2017, Kūkona released his second album, ''ʻAla Anuhea'', featuring a wonderful array of newly composed ''mele.'' The album was mixed and recorded by Dave Tucciarone of Seventh Wave Studio. Again, Kūkona was awarded the ''Male Vocalist of the Year'' award at the 2018 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards.

Early life

Kamaka was five when his mother signed him up for hula lessons, and it quickly became evident that he had a knack for it. It wasn’t long before he caught the eye of hula master Mae Kamāmalu Klein, who invited Kamaka to start the ‘uniki (graduation) process at nineteen — something of a rarity in hula.

Hālau O Ka Hanu Lehua

In 2003, after a successful ʻuniki process, Kūkona opened his own hula hālau, Hālau O Ka Hanu Lehua in Waikapu,

. The hālau accepts members of all ages. Hālau O ka Hanu Lehua have made several appearances at hula festivals across Hawaiʻi and Japan. As early as 2007, Hālau o Ka Hanu Lehua have been making regular appearances at the

Merrie Monarch Festival The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long cultural festival that takes place annually in Hilo, Hawaii during the week after Easter. It honors King David Kalākaua, who was called the "Merrie Monarch" for his patronage of the arts and is cr ...

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. It is the fourth-largest settlement ...

Awards

Merrie Monarch Festival

Discography

Solo albums

* 2013: ''Hanu ʻAʻala'' * 2017: ''ʻAla Anuhea'' * 2020: ''Kahekeonāpua''

Music Awards & Nominations

Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards

The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, also known as the "Hōkū Awards", are Hawaii's equivalent to the

. The awards are administered by the

Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

(HARA) and are awarded to the recording artists who exemplify the best work in their class. , - ! scope="row" , 2021 , ''Kahekeonāpua'' , Hawaiian Music Album of the Year , , - ! scope="row" , 2021 , ''Kahekeonāpua'' , Hawaiian Language Performance , , - ! scope="row" , 2021 , ''Kahekeonāpua'' , Engineering Award - Hawaiian , , - ! scope="row" , 2021 , ''Kahekeonāpua'' , Album of the Year , , - ! scope="row" , 2021 , ''Kahekeonāpua'' , Male Vocalist of the Year , , - ! scope="row" , 2018 , ''ʻAla Anuhea'' , Male Vocalist of the Year , , - ! scope="row" , 2014 , ''Hanu ʻAʻala'' , Male Vocalist of the Year , , - ! scope="row" , 2014 , ''Hanu ʻAʻala'' , Most Promising Artist , , -

Grammy Awards

, - ! scope="row" , 2014 , ''Hanu ʻAʻala'' , Best Regional Roots , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kūkona, Kamaka 1978 births Living people Songwriters from Hawaii Hula dancers Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners People from Maui