Jazz Infused Rock & Roll with Hawaiian Soul

 Bio

Halemanu is a Kanaka Maoli (indigenous person of Hawaii) whose family heritage in the islands is traced back over 800 years. For centuries the Hawaiian culture did not have a formal writing system in place. They would pass on their history orally, through chants, and stories. Similarly, Halemanu first learned music by listening and imitating what he heard.

His first Album “Sounds Like Hale” released in 2009, paid tribute to the music he grew up listening to in the islands. With the encouragement of fans and followers, he released the album "So The Story Goes" in 2018, which won a Na Hoku Hanohano Award for "Best Island Music Album of the Year". He was also nominated for "Most Promising Artist of the Year" in 2018.

Halemanu first picked up the ukulele when he was 5 years old. He was inspired and encouraged to play by his dad who was playing Hawaiian music as well as popular music from the 50’s - 80’s. During this time he began performing on stage for local events, talent shows, and parties. His curiosity about the technical side of music production also began at this early stage.

After performing for many years, Halemanu devoted his time to studying music theory with world famous music educator Dick Grove, founder of The Dick Grove School of Music and School without Walls Program. He also moved to Los Angeles to study guitar and recording engineering at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA. He has studied guitar with Jamie Findlay, Scott Henderson, Sid Jacobs, Keith Wyatt, among others.

Halemanu is a sought after music producer and has personally done projects for Oprah Winfrey, Willie Nelson, and many others. He has done over 6000 live and studio performances through out Hawaii, North America, and Japan. He is an accomplished vocalist, ukulele player, and guitarist who works as soloist or with his band. He has also engineered and produced hundreds of musical and media projects that have appeared in Hawaii, the US and internationally. He has shared the stage with members of Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Michael McDonald, and many others.