Popular island musician Justin Kawika Young returns to the MACC
"Lift up your light and shine bright," Justin Kawika Young sings with the group Seven Suns on the new song "Faded," which was released on Aug. 8. The Oahu-born musician has teamed with some stellar Hawaii musician friends to form Seven Suns and he's loving it.
Returning to the MACC on Aug. 23, Young explains, "we're fans of each other. We've been playing music together in different configurations. They backed me up for decades when I play my own shows and they backed up other artists in Hawaii."
Seven Suns include Shawn Kekoa Pimental, Jason Tupuola-Aiono, Phil Crown, Ethan Capone, Paul Kalikohou Nelson and Pi'i Miguel. Their combined credits include Jake Shimabukuro, Paula Fuga, Brother Noland, Kimie Miner, Fiji, Rebel Souljahz, Katchafire, and Anuhea.
"Three of them decided to start putting their own project together and were trying to figure out who would be the lead singer," he continues. "I was like, I would love to do something. I will drop everything. At this point, we've all been doing it for so long, it's like, how do we want to spend the rest of our years in music, and if we can do it playing music with people we love. It's so much fun."
With three singles out, the irresistible, inspirational island reggae of "Many Feathers" sounds like a fusion of Katchafire with UB40. "We're trying to do kind of a bigger festival sound, and so we had the horns right off the top," he says. "And not just sound like a straight up Hawaii band, even though we're all from there."
Aside from Seven Suns, over the years Young has collaborated with Grammy winner Colbie Caillat in Gone West, played keyboards with country star Brett Young, teamed with British reggae star Bitty McLean, and recently worked with Melissa Polinar on the beautiful song "In the Cards."
"She's amazing," he says. "She sent me the track with her verse and the chorus, and then I wrote the second verse that I sang. We've known each other for a long time and always talked about collaborating. She's just incredible."
Raised on Oahu, Young absorbed a diverse array of influences growing up. "My first instrument was a ukulele. I loved all the island reggae stuff growing up and traditional Hawaiian stuff, Hui Ohana and Gabby Pahinui. I really fell in love with '90s R&B, Boys II Men and all that whole era, and then I discovered Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway. I think for me, where my sweet spot is, is soulful singers that write meaningful songs."
In 2019, Young and Colbie Caillat formed the country band Gone West in Nashville with two friends. They released the brilliant album "Canyons," and then it was over.
"Colbie and I met in L.A. through mutual friends and then I joined her band
and played with her for over a decade," he says. "We were engaged and were a couple for a long time. We moved to Nashville and then started Gone West with a couple of friends that were married. We spent three years writing and recording and promoting the first single and then COVID hit. Everything was shut down."
An Associated Press review suggested they sounded like a country Fleetwood Mac, while American Songwriter compared them with the Eagles. Nashville Scene called them "the personification of the term supergroup."
"Canyons" "was really special," he says. "I love the record. I love the songs." It closed with the song "Tides," which included Hawaiian lyrics.
"We were all trying to add our unique flavor, and I felt like there hasn't been a lot of representation of different diversity in country music. Since I do bring that diversity to country music in our band, they were all for it. Let's represent where you come from. So that was special to be able to do that."
For his Maui show, he will perform as an acoustic trio, joined by Seven Suns' musicians Shawn Kekoa Pimental and Pi'i Miguel.
Based in Nashville, he loves returning to Maui to perform. "Maui has always been one of the biggest supporters of my music going way back. Alaka'i (Paleka) was always just the best and most wonderful to me. So I always love going back. I'm always so grateful that people remember the songs. Somehow it's been like over 20 years that I released my first album. Just doesn't seem real."
Justin Kawika Young plays the MACC's McCoy Studio Theater on Aug. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35, $45, and $65, plus applicable fees. A MACC member 10% discount is available, and tickets for children 12 and under are half price, at mauiarts.org.
