Weaving Traditional with Modern

Singer, composer, guitarist and educator Kuana Torres Kahele is one of Hawaiian music’s most popular artists. With a style steeped in everything from hula and traditional folk music to jazz and swing to country and western, his smooth tenor voice (and silky falsetto), and call and response choruses inhabit his weave of traditional and modern instruments, Kahele has forged his own path through Hawaii’s musical history—particularly in hula music—coming up with a sound distinctly his own. Kahele played the character of Uku, a lovesick volcano, in Pixar’s hit short, “Lava.” Kahele’s title theme for the film debuted at number one on the soundtrack chart and remained there for months. Explore more artists.