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Anuhea - Island Mele
By John Berger
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 23, 2009
Until relatively recently most local pop artists didn't have the talent, material or production values to make it outside Hawaii. Even here, often as not, if a local pop artist got play on a mainstream radio station in Honolulu, it was probably because someone at their record label had a major "in" with a power broker there.
Anuhea Jenkins is the latest local pop artist who doesn't need "connections" to get airplay or reach the national pop charts. She sounds like several successful young pop divas -- and that's a good thing. Her sound -- smoky, introspective vocals and smooth R&B rhythms predominate -- is already proven pop material.
Equally important, Anuhea is a witty and insightful writer. Her command of catchy phrasing and vivid lyric images puts familiar but ever-popular subjects (unfaithful boyfriends, unrequited love, the challenge of breaking the rules and pursuing a man) in fresh perspective.
"Slow Down" describes the situation of being a 19-year old "queen in the making" and fighting the frustration that comes with limitations. "Fly," softer and sweeter than the others, is an inspirational message of hope.
And then there's "Barista by Day." Think of it as the equivalent of "Private Dancer" for coffee servers, and you'll never look at them the same way again. |
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Anuhea Rides a Wave of Island Activity into Austin
March 10, 2009
Anuhea (pronounced Ah-New-Hey-Ah) is a self-taught guitarist and song-writer born on Maui. On her self-titled debut album, Anuhea blends Soul, R'n'B, Jazz and Reggae with smart, personal lyricism. With seductively sophisticated pop vocals and spirited guitar accompaniment, Anuhea shares the same independent attitude of celebrated female artists like Gwen Stefani and Lily Allen.
Anuhea became a sensation across the Hawaiian islands by opening for Brushfire Recording artists Jack Johnson and Matt Costa and collaborating with indie favorites Gym Class Heroes in a remake of their song "Viva La White Girl." Eco-conscious as well as an avid surfer, Anuhea is not just another pretty face. She is a savvy entrepreneur who acted as her own manager, agent, producer and distributor before signing with the One Hawaii Music label and WorldSound for management. She's already landed partnerships with some of Hawaii's best brands including Kohana Coffee along with Ko'olauu & Pono Guitars & Ukuleles. Her album, produced by Drew K and mastered by Grammy winner Gavin Lurssen, arrives in stores in June 2009.
On her first excursion to South by SouthWest (SxSW), Anuhea will have nearly a dozen live appearances at a diverse range of venues. Her official SxSW showcase will be at Submerged headlining SxSW's Hawaiian Music Night at 10pm before John Cruz and One Hawaii label mates One Right Turn take the stage. Anuhea will be in residency at Roy's, Austin's legendary Hawaiian barbeque restaurant on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and will also make two appearances at Whole Foods. All attendees to Anuhea shows in Austin will receive a free digital download of a song from the new CD. Finally, Anuhea will host a brunch session of music and give-aways on Saturday at Cicci's Market playing a short set each hour between 10am and 1pm. Come down to Cicci's market to try a free sampling of the new organic Anuhea line of Kohana Coffee and to enter for a chance to win a $1000 Pono Ukulele, handmade on the North Shore of Oahu. |
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Beauty and the Beat - What you need to know about Anuhea
MauiTime Weekly
By Samantha Campos
She's a beautiful girl. So it's no surprise that Anuhea, born and raised on Maui, ran for Miss Maui 2006. Consequently, she won Miss Congeniality-also not a shocker-and second runner-up to the crown. But what is surprising is the fact that she was so happy she didn't win.
"I'm not a pageant girl at all," she said. "But I had to raise money, speak eloquently, have an opinion on issues... and I knew it would all be good for my career in the long-run."
She knows what she wants. After prep school, Anuhea got a full ride to Chapman Film School for video production. She went to school for a year but realized it wasn't what she was passionate about. So she gave up the scholarship from the Hawai'i Association of Broadcasters and taught herself to play guitar.
She's a girl who likes challenges. Which is why, when she returned home, she said goodbye to friends and family, and moved to San Francisco. By this time, Anuhea knew she wanted to make music. But she knew nobody there and for a while, she was homeless. During the day, she worked three jobs. At night, she said she'd sometimes have to wait hours to play a few songs at an open mic somewhere.
"It made me realize how small I am," Anuhea said. "There are so many people there who do what I do, that I have to try that much harder, make a huge extra effort to be more unique. And it really comes down to being yourself."
She's proud of her island roots and wants to honor that. She comes from a long line of Kamehameha School alumni, and her aunty is a member of the popular contemporary Hawaiian trio, Na Leo Pilimehana. Although she doesn't want to be limited to the Hawaiian music genre, she wants to be a part of a new generation melding the melodic traditions of her island upbringing with modern beats and influences.
She loves hip-hop. Well, there was her duet with Travis McCoy of New York hip-hop band (and MTV darlings), Gym Class Heroes. While she was living in San Francisco, McCoy heard her acoustic version of his track, "Viva La White Girl" and before she knew it, Anuhea was whisked off to L.A. to record the song with him.
Currently, she's recording some of her own songs with the San Francisco hip-hop group, The Evolutionaries, for her debut album that will eventually be distributed by OneHawaii Music. The music deftly blends Anuhea's soulful vocals and acoustic guitar playing, with jazzy breaks and smooth lyrical rhymes.
She has a song for everything. One time, when she was in the city, her car was broken into and her laptop stolen, along with all of her promotional materials. She cried like a baby. And then she wrote the song, "Fly."
"I could drink, smoke, beat somebody up," she said. "But writing songs is a better outlet for my emotions."
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. (I'm telling this to myself, too...)" |
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