47 Native Hawaiian musicians

Nani Alapai was a Hawaiian soprano singer of Native Hawaiian and Filipino descent during the early 1900s. Despite not receiving any formal musical training, she was hired as a vocalist of the Royal Hawaiian Band by bandmaster Henri Berger. She became the leading prima donna of the early era of Hawaiian music through her traveling performances with the Royal Hawaiian Band in Hawaii and on the mainland United States. Recording a number of songs, she helped popularized "Aloha ʻOe" by Queen Liliʻuokalani with one of the earliest recordings of the song. She directly and indirectly influenced many later Hawaiian musicians including Lena Machado and her adoptive grandson Kahauanu Lake.

John Kameaaloha Almeida was a blind musician and songwriter from Oahu, Hawaii.

Alfred Aholo Apaka, Jr. was a Hawaiian singer whose romantic baritone voice was closely identified with Hawaii between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. Alfred Apaka was arguably the foremost interpreter of Hapa haole music, which melded Hawaiian music with traditional pop music arrangements and English lyrics to convey Polynesian imagery and themes.

Helen Kapuailohia Desha Beamer was a musician, composer of songs in the Hawaiian language, hula dancer and coloratura soprano of Hawaiian ancestry. Her descendants have also become accomplished artists in the U.S. state of Hawaii. In 1928, her duet of Ke Kali Nei Au with Sam Kapu Sr. on Columbia Records was the first commercial recording of the Charles E. King composition. She was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 1995.

Keola Beamer is a Hawaiian slack-key guitar player, best known as the composer of "Honolulu City Lights" and an innovative musician who fused Hawaiian roots and contemporary music. Keola Beamer comes from one of Hawaii's most respected musical families.

Edwin Mahiʻai (Mahi) Copp Beamer was a tenor falsetto singer, composer and hula dancer of Hawaiian ancestry. He was born in Honolulu in the Territory of Hawaii and is the grandson of Helen Desha Beamer. His father, Milton Hoʻolulu Desha Beamer Sr. was her son. Mahi's mother was Mildred Kaaloehukaiopuaena Copp Beamer. In 2006, Mahi Beamer was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. He was named a "Living Treasure of Hawaii" in 2008 by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, which has been recognizing Hawaii's treasures since 1976. He received the 1992 State of Hawaii Recognition Award for his musical contributions to the state and for perpetuating his grandmother's music. Beamer was the 1993 recipient of the David Malo award presented by Rotary International for his cultural contributions.

Winona Kapuailohiamanonokalani Desha Beamer was a champion of authentic and ancient Hawaiian culture, publishing many books, musical scores, as well as audio and video recordings on the subject. In her home state, she was known as Auntie Nona. She was an early proponent of the ancient form of the hula being perpetuated through teaching and public performances. Beamer was the granddaughter of Helen Desha Beamer. A cousin to Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame inductee Mahi Beamer, she teamed with him and her son Keola to form a touring North American troupe performing ancient hula and the Hawaiian art of storytelling. She was a teacher at Kamehameha Schools for almost 40 years, but had been expelled from that same school as a student in 1937 for dancing the standing hula. Beamer's sons Keola and Kapono are established performers in the Hawaiian music scene. Her grandson Kamanamaikalani Beamer is a professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and CEO of the Kohala Center. She ran a Waikiki hula studio for three decades. In 1997—indignant at proposals to cut Hawaiian curriculum from Kamehameha Schools—Beamer became the catalyst for public protest and legal investigation into Bishop Estate management, which eventually led to the removal or resignation of the trustees.

Chloe Auliʻi Cravalho is an American actress and singer, who made her acting debut as the titular character in the 2016 Disney computer animated musical feature film Moana. She went on to star in the NBC drama series Rise (2018) and the Netflix drama film All Together Now (2020).

Charles Keonaonalaulani Llewellyn Davis was a Native Hawaiian opera singer and musician. He was a child prodigy, raised on a sugar cane plantation, and a direct descendant of John Papa ʻĪʻī, personal attendant to Lunalilo. Trained as an opera singer, he vocalized in both tenor and baritone ranges. He and actor James Shigeta briefly toured as a nightclub act. Versatile with a variety of vocal forms, and a multi-linguist, he sang the music of Cole Porter at the Hollywood Bowl, and presented a concert in honor of Kamehameha Day at Carnegie Hall. Davis performed with the Opera Company of Boston during a White House engagement, and was a nightclub performer in Hawaii. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts, and was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.

Jaye Nāpua Greig-Nakasone, known professionally as Nāpua Greig, is a Hawaiian musician, vocalist, songwriter, record producer, kumu hula, and educator from Maui, Hawaii. Known primarily for her contributions as kumu hula of Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka, she arranges traditional Hawaiian music as well, performing and recording with instruments such as ukulele, ipu, and other traditional Hawaiian hula implements. She has released four solo albums, each earning a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award.

Hilo Hattie was a Hawaiian singer, hula dancer, actress and comedian of Native Hawaiian ancestry.

The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, formerly known as Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1900. It is the second oldest orchestra in the USA west of the Rocky Mountains. The orchestra now plays at Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu.

Hawaii Youth Symphony is a statewide youth orchestra in Hawaii. Students come from many different Hawaiian islands and the orchestra consists of hundreds of students. The Hawaii Youth Symphony has been training students since 1964 and is one of the largest and oldest youth symphonies in the country.

The Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame was established as a non-profit corporation in 1994 in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The annual honorees include individuals, groups, institutions, chanters and songs.

Myrtle Kahea Hilo was a native Hawaiian taxicab driver, radio personality, ukulele player and singer. Her signature album The Singing Cab Driver was released in 1967 on Makaha Records. She was born in Hauʻula, Hawaii on the island of O'ahu. In 1998 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts.

Sol Hoʻopiʻi was born Solomon Hoʻopiʻi Kaʻaiʻai in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was a Native Hawaiian guitarist, claimed by many as the all-time best lap steel guitar virtuoso, and he is one of the most famous original Hawaiian steel guitarists, along with Joseph Kekuku, Frank Ferera, Sam Ku West and "King" Bennie Nawahi.

Rylee Anuheakeʻalaokalokelani Jenkins, better known as Anuhea, is a Hawaiian/American singer-songwriter and musician.

Ernest Kaʻai (1881–1962) was considered by many to have been the foremost ukulele authority of his time and is noted by some as being "Hawaii's Greatest Ukulele Player". Kaʻai, who was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, was said to have been the first musician to play a complete melody with chords. He was the son of Simon Kaloa Kaʻai, a prominent politician during the Kingdom of Hawaii.

William Awihilima Kahaiali'i, known as Willie K, was a Hawaiian musician who performed in a variety of styles, including blues, rock, opera and Hawaiian music.

Haleloke Kahauolopua was a 20th-century Hawaiian singer. She was sometimes billed under just her first name, Haleloke.

George Kahumoku Jr. is a musician specializing in slack-key guitar.

Benny Kalama, born Benjamin Kapena Kalama in Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii, was an American singer with a honey-voiced falsetto. He is credited with discovering and nurturing Alfred Apaka, and was part of several groups. Until the day Apaka died, Kalama was coaching and arranging music for him.

Dennis David Kahekilimamaoikalanikeha Kamakahi was a Hawaiian slack key guitarist, recording artist, music composer, and Christian minister. He was a three-time Grammy Award winner, and in 2009 he was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.

Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole, "Hawaiian of the fearless eye, the bold face"; May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997), also called Bruddah Iz or Iz, was a Hawaiian singer-songwriter, musician, and Hawaiian sovereignty activist.

Kini Kapahu Wilson was a Hawaiian hula dancer, musician, and singer. In 1893–94, she toured the United States, Europe and Russia, performing for heads of state such as Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II. She married Honolulu Mayor John H. Wilson and was recognized as the "Honorary First Lady" of Hawaii.

Mekia Kealakai was a musician, composer and conductor of the Royal Hawaiian Band, as well as musical director of the Kawaihau Orchestra and Glee Club.

Wilfred Nalani "Moe" Keale was an American musician of Hawaiian music, a ukulele virtuoso, and an actor. He was the uncle and major musical influence of Israel Kamakawiwoʻole.

'Aunty' Genoa Leilani Adolpho Keawe-Aiko was a Hawaiian musician. Keawe was born on the island of Oʻahu in the Kakaʻako district of Honolulu and grew up in Lā'ie. She was an icon in Hawaiian music and a mainstay on the Hawaiian music scene for more than 60 years. She captivated local and visitor audiences alike. She had a large repertoire of traditional Hawaiian standards and Hapa Haole tunes. Many local artists include Keawe among their influences.

Joseph Kekuku (1874–1932) is reportedly the inventor of the steel guitar.

Charles Edward King was an educator, Hawaii territorial legislator, and a songwriter who is most widely known as the composer of "Ke Kali Nei Au". King was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 1995. Music historian George Kanahele regarded King as the "Dean of Hawaiian Music", although this sobriquet is more associated with John Kameaaloha Almeida.

Lena Machado was a Native Hawaiian singer, composer, and ukulele player, known as "Hawaii's Songbird". She was among the first group of musical artists honored by the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 1995. Noted for her use of the Hawaiian vocal technique of "ha'i," which emphasizes the transition between a singer's lower and falsetto vocal ranges, and her use of "kaona" when writing song lyrics, she entertained primarily in Hawaii and the mainland United States. She sold leis on the Honolulu piers as a child, and aspired to become a singer like the women she saw greeting incoming passengers. KGU radio manager Marion A. Mulroney discovered her as she sang in a mango tree next door to his home. She performed regularly on KGU, where Royal Hawaiian Band conductor Mekia Kealakaʻi heard her and hired her as a featured soloist in 1925. Her association with the Royal Hawaiian Band would last five decades. During World War II, she had her own radio show on KGU.

Ululani Papaikaniau McQuaid Robertson (1890–1970) was a Hawaiian opera singer and civic leader.

"King" Bennie Nawahi was an American steel guitarist from Hawaii who was popular in the U.S. during the 1920s and 1930s.

John Avery Noble, better known as Johnny Noble, was an American musician, composer and arranger. He was one of the key figures behind the development of the hapa haole style of music in Honolulu, and played a leading role in introducing Hawaiian music to the United States.

Philip Kunia Pahinui was a slack-key guitarist and singer of Hawaiian music.

Dennis Pavao, was one of several Hawaiian musicians who, during the 1970s, led a Hawaiian music renaissance, reviving Hawaiian music, especially "ka leo ki'eki'e," or Hawaiian falsetto singing. Along with his cousins, Ledward and Nedward Kaʻapana, Pavao started the group Hui ʻOhana. Hui ʻOhana became the premier falsetto group in Hawaiʻi. After the breakup of Hui ʻOhana, Dennis Pavao moved on to pursue a solo career.

Kalani Peʻa is a two-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter of Hawaiian music. He released his first album, E Walea, in 2016, which won the 2017 Grammy award for "Best Regional Roots Music Album". Peʻa released his second album, No 'Ane'i, in 2018, which won the Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Mary Abigail Kawenaʻulaokalaniahiʻiakaikapoliopele Naleilehuaapele Wiggin Pukui, known as Kawena, was a Hawaiian scholar, author, composer, hula expert and educator.

Carleton Lewis Kealiʻinaniaimokuokalani Reichel popularly known as Kealiʻi Reichel, is a popular and bestselling singer, songwriter, choreographer, dancer, chanter, scholar, teacher, and personality from Hawaiʻi. He has spent his life educating the world about Hawaiian culture through music and dance.

The Royal Hawaiian Girls Glee Club is a chorale group of performers who have entertained audiences in Hawaii for a century. Initially a group created through a YWCA program, they became the resident performers at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. They sang on the first broadcast of Hawaii Calls, and for six decades were the featured entertainment at the Kodak Hula Show in Waikiki.

Owana Kaʻōhelelani Mahealani-Rose Salazar is a Hawaiian musician and a claimant to the throne of the lapsed Kingdom of Hawaii.

Sharaya Howell, known professionally as Sharaya J, is an American rapper and choreographer. She is known for her singles "BANJI" and "Smash Up the Place," as well as for being signed to Missy Elliott's label The Goldmind Inc. Prior to her work as a musician, she worked as a hip-hop choreographer and urban screenplay writer. On April 17, 2017, she released her debut mixtape, Dope Product.

Napua Stevens Poire was a well-known Hawaiian entertainer, singer, hula dancer, musician, teacher, radio-TV personality, producer and author. Noted for her hits such as "Beyond The Reef" and "Hawaiian Hospitality" in the late 1940s, in the 1950s and later embarked upon a successful media career as a radio DJ for her own show KTRG and presenting her own TV cooking show Napua's Kitchen in the 1960s. She made two guest appearances in the popular series Hawaii Five-O and also presented the Aloha Week and Kamehameha Day hula shows.

Louis Keouli Thompson better known by his stage name Segis Luvaun, was a Hawaiian singer and musician and the reported King of Ukulele Players. Thompson, native to Hawai'i, claimed United States citizenship when Hawaii was annexed by the United States as a territory in 1898. He performed much of his life, first touring the United States and later throughout Scandinavia and Europe, many times for Royalty.

Rose Kalamahaaheo Otis Tribe Tyson was a soprano soloist in the Territory of Hawaii, and was a protégée of Queen Liliʻuokalani.

ʻIoane ʻŪkēkē, born ʻIoane Hohopa, was a kumu hula and musical performer who organized hula performance during the Hawaiian Kingdom. He organized hula troupes for the court of King Kalākaua and accompanied his group's dances with the ʻūkēkē, a traditional Hawaiian string instrument, which gave him his nickname John or ʻIoane ʻŪkēkē. He was known for his flamboyant way of dress and dubbed the Hawaiian Dandy or Hawaiian Beau Brummel by the local English-language press.

Brendon Boyd Urie is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of Panic! at the Disco, of which he is the only original member remaining.