Justin Kawika Young

Justin Kawika Young has spent his career at the centre of the contemporary Hawaiian music scene, where local radio and island audiences shape reputations as much as any national chart. His route in began with a songwriting contest win in 1995, which earned him the chance to record a local album. He played keyboards, guitar and ukulele on that record and wrote six of its ten songs, marking him out as a songwriter from the outset. His repertoire moves between Hawaiian falsetto and rhythm and blues.

His debut, No Better Time Than Now, appeared in March 1996, peaked at number three at Tower Records for Hawaiian albums and stayed in the top ten for six weeks. Opening for the reggae group Big Mountain at the Waikiki Shell put him in front of thousands. Soothe You followed in 1997 with four number one radio hits in Hawaii and three Hawaiian Music Awards. My Eyes Adore You (1998) added the ballad "Was It Loneliness" and the falsetto song "E Kailua E". In 2011 he sang the national anthem at the White House Easter Egg Roll with Colbie Caillat, and in 2012 he opened for Cassadee Pope and joined Gavin DeGraw's national tour as a special guest.