EVERYTHING is an influence and mine are pretty diverse.....
Highly influenced by reggae.
Adore hip hop and R&B.
But acoustic guitar is my instrument, so I am inspired by live acoustic as well.
Love funk and disco, love techno beats, love country lyrics. Love dance hall, dub and lovers rock, and love acoustic guitar...... could go on and on.
In no particular order some atists include India Arie, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Ben Harper, Sublime, Lauryn Hill, Maroon 5, Barington Levy, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Color Me Badd, TLC, Spice Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Hall and Oates, The Eagles, Journey and other 60/70's Rock, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Gnarls Barkly, Erykah Badu, Nelly Furtado, Jewel, Alicia Keys, Israel Vibrations, Steel Pulse, Jill Scott, Gavin Degraw, Citizen Cope, Slightly Stoopid, Mickey Avalon, NeYo, Rihanna, Estelle, Adele, Gym Class Heroes.
Love local Hawaiian jams like Willie K, Ka'au Crater Boys, Kalapana, Hawaiian Style Band, John Cruz, Ekolu, Mana'o Company, Fiji, Keali'i Reichelle, Na Leo and classic Hawaiian songs.
I love old school hip hop like Slick Rick & Doug E Fresh, Young MC, LL Cool J, Salt n Peppa, even Vanilla Ice. Great stuff to bust out at the drop of a dime.
My Aunty Nalani and the ladies of Na Leo Pilimehana were one of the biggest influences. I know every word to almost every song they have since their start.
And of course the number one influence in songwriting, vocals and style...and he who inspires many of the people above is....
Anuhea (pronounced Ah-New-Hey-Ah) is a self-taught guitarist and song-writer born on the Hawaiian island of Maui. She began showcasing her talents while boarding at Hawaii's Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu. "We would print out guitar chords to Bob Marley and Jack Johnson songs at school then skip water polo practice to go back to the dorms and jam them. Once I got the basic idea of guitar I then started writing my own songs." Anuhea enjoyed the spotlight. She was the anchor for the daily campus-wide news, hosted a variety of TV shows for local television stations, and acted in school musicals.
After attending film school in Orange County for a year, Anuhea realized she wasn't heading in the direction she was most passionate about, music. So she abandoned her scholarships and embarked on a soul-searching odyssey to Australia for 3 weeks. She returned to the islands and immediately got into the scene, performing at a local coffee shop. These gigs turned into paid restaurant gigs and she eventually put a band together using friends from around the island.
In 2006 Anuhea competed for a crown in the Miss Maui Scholarship Pageant, the preliminary to the Miss Hawaii and Miss America Pageants. Not the pageant-girl cliche by any means, Anuhea walked away from the competition with a trophy for Miss Congeniality and 2nd Runner Up. ""I ran for Miss Maui for the challenge. I thrive off of challenges. I had hit a point where I was pretty stagnant, and I had some student loans I really wanted to pay off. Plus you see pageants on TV and stuff as a kid, and I just always wanted to try to be that girly girl for once in my life."
Anuhea's musical and performance skills continued to improved with every performance, and successes came steadily. She took the initiative to market herself as a musician initially acting as her own manager, booking agent, music producer and distributor. Anuhea even took recordings from a live taping for a public radio station and turned them into her first real demo CD "Rough Cuts" which through her myspace page got her discovered by manager / record label co-owner Warren Wyatt.
With a delicate balance of fragility, strength and sass, Hawaiian born singer/songwriter Anuhea blends engaging lyrics, acoustic soul, pop and reggae into a style that has earned her a reputation as Hawaii's newest rising star. Anuhea's signature guitar rhythms, sultry vocals and honest song writing weave acoustic soul, R&B, jazz and blues with pop appeal reminiscent of a female version of multi-million selling Hawaii based Jack Johnson.
A naturally gifted songwriter, Anuhea's word choices are a clever balance of emotions where each song tells a unique story, each story a lesson learned. "I'm influenced highly by R&B and Soul, Hip Hop and Funk, but my instrument is acoustic guitar. I tend to write most of my songs during the craziest parts of my life. I'll write pages and pages in my notebook in no order then go back with my guitar in my hands and sing the words as lyrics to some chords. That's how most songs start for me." Anuhea wants to be a part of a new generation melding the melodic traditions of her island upbringing with modern beats and influences.
Music has been in Anuhea's family for generations, so it was inevitable that her seeded passions would reflect the same. Anuhea's father is from the North Shore of Oahu in the surfing culture of Haleiwa. His younger sister, Nalani is a founding member of the most popular female group in the history of Hawaiian Music, Na Leo Pilimehana. Anuhea's mother, an Oregon native, comes from a musical family as well, her father is a popular country guitarist.
The future is bright for this Maui songbird. Anuhea's determination, passion, optimism and raw talent are the foundations for the success that is to come. "I just feel lucky that I've found my dream and am able to pursue it... My main goal as a music-maker is to help people find theirs, whatever it may be." Fluent in Hawaiian Anuhea is proud of her island roots and plans to honoring her heritage by utilizing her growing fame for the good of her land and people.
She's on the positive freak flow. My conversation with Anuhea was peppered with references to inspirational speeches by Nelson Mandela and excerpts from Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. Even her MySpace blog reads like an affirmation from Chicken Soup for the Anti-Beauty-Pageant-Turned-Songwriter Chick Soul.
"I encourage you to think about your life, your goals, and realize what exactly it is that's preventing you from achieving them. It's probably yourself. And frankly, that's just dumb. That idea is the inspiration for my song 'Endlessly.' 'You trust that you won't make it, 'cause you hate to make mistakes and your life has been nothing but struggles in this silly rat race... But on and on, endlessly you try.' And keep trying, you! Keep focused on your goals and thinking positive. The power of the mind is amazing. "
This is Anuhea’s first release on the OneHawaii label. Produced by Drew K, and mastered by Grammy winner Gavin Lurssen, the album arrived April 21st, 2009.
Anuhea and Friends Live at The Mint, Hollywood June 17th 2009
"Ticklin' The Strings" by Sweet Hollywaiians
Amazing Japanese hot string band playing 1920's, 30's, 40's style hawaiian, swing, calypso, blues, italian music and originals,featuring vintage instruments.3 songs with Robert Armstrong and Tony Marcus(from Robert Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders)
"The Sweet Hollywaiians have probably the best feel for this 20's music of any string band working today. They manage the rare feat of sounding relaxed even when their playing is hot, are top notch musicians with tasteful arrangements and a full, rich, warm sound.Plus, they have a nice gamut of tunes, from King Nawahi to Giovanni Vicari to Bobby Leecan. See them live, if you can, for an unforgettable experience. If you can't, buy their Cds!" ~ Terry Zwigoff
Hey whats up! heres a good quote I just read thought I'd share it. "the only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it and the faith to believe its possible." -Rich DeVous thats pretty inspirational wouldn't u say? anyways hit me up sometime! PEACE
LAST WEEK WAS PACKED!
ITS ON AGAIN "TASTY THURSDAYS" @ HUSH (444 NIU ST HAWAIIAN MONARCH HOTEL BEHIND THE OLD JACKS)
18&OVER
$100 MS LADY GO GO DANCE CONTEST
LADIES BRING ALL YOUR FRIENDS ITS STRICTLY CROWD PARTICIPATION
21+ FREE TIL MIDNIGHT (GOT A BDAY? HIT US UP!)
GLIST? GET @ US!
Aloha to Anuhea, Thank you for performing such a nice, intimate set tonight at Ward!!! It's so sweet to hear your material live!! Got goose bumps listening to your wonderful & sweet voice! Mahalo for taking the time to hang out with us! You rock! Have fun playing & making music always!!! Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!! " )ss
You have the Voice, the words, Soul & the material &&& You ARE THE HARDEST WORKING MUSICIAN on the Islands in the last few years plus!!! It is amazing to see you in every which way, every week taking your show on the road, entertaining everyone! && of course the timing & the karma seems to be "right on!" cheering for you always!!!
Please enjoy the ride & the success & have fun spreading your ALOHA to the rest of the World!!! Mahalo! & Domo Domo Arigato-Gozaimasu!!! Seishi
Hey, just made "Here I Go Again" into the profile song for the Hawaii MomsLikeMe.com page! Gorgeous sound. Big ups to you for all your successes, Anuhea!
~Esme
P.S. Your keyboard player Michael and I go way back. Please tell him I said hello!
I heard your song on the radio the other day, 'if you love me like I love you then I know that its not true' I was like, this is awsome, who is this, and it was you. congratulations girl!
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