George Kahumoku Jr., (from left) Tia Carrere, and Daniel Ho will perform at the Napili Kai Beach Resort’s Aloha Pavilion on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Kihei’s ProArts Playhouse on Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m., and Hana’s Porter Pavilion on Jan. 20 at 6:30 p.m. Photo courtesy Pasifika Artists

Balancing successful careers as an actress and a musician, two-time Grammy winner Tia Carrere is looking forward to performing on Maui, joining fellow Grammy winners Daniel Ho and Maui’s slack key guitar master George Kahumoku, Jr. at concerts in Napili, Kihei and Hana.

Winning Grammy Awards for her albums “Huana Ke Aloha” and “Ikena,” the Kalihi-born singer was also nominated for Grammys for “Hawaiiana” and “He Nani.” She was accompanied on all four recordings by Ho, whom she has known since her teenage years on Oahu.

“I’m just grateful doing something you love with people that you love and care for, and then something like an award like that comes out of it, that’s crazy,” Carrere said about being honored. “But pretty amazing to have the book ends.”

The trio of Carrere, Ho and Kahumoku recently released “Live on Tour” in 2023, which included beautiful versions of “Me Ke Aloha Pumehana” and “Aloha ʻOe.”

“It’s so beautiful,” she said. “Daniel’s production on it is pristine. I’m so glad that we recorded it.”

Having worked on various movies and TV productions over the years, Carrere said she most enjoys performing and touring with her trio mates. “This is such a great vibe,” she explained. When we’re on stage it’s just relaxing. We’ve all worked with people that are high maintenance, high maka makas as we say in Hawaii, and as legendary as Uncle George is, and as multi-awarded as Daniel Ho is, and the perception of a Hollywood whatever, we’re all just schlepping, hanging out, and having fun. Just being like normal backyard, kanikapila kind of hanging out, playing and talking story, and that’s what I love.”

Her current recording projects include working with Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas and she recently released the moving, post-pandemic country song “I’m Still Here,” with a video filmed on the Big Island. “I’m really proud of the song,” she said.

Growing up in Hawaii, her musical inspirations included Nohelani Cypriano and “I loved Yvonne Elliman and Loyal Garner was my favorite.” Before she became famous, she thought she would have a career singing in Waikiki bars.

“I didn’t have connections,” she said. “I’m from Kalihi, I’m not from Kahala. I didn’t know anybody in show business. I always thought that was the height of my career, but now that I have achieved all this other stuff, singing in a piano bar in Hawaii doesn’t sound that bad.”

To many, Carrere has long been associated with her starring role in the hit comedy “Wayne’s World.” As Wayne’s (Mike Myers) “shwing” dream girl Cassandra, Carrere played a female rock star, belting out songs like Hendrix’s “Fire” and Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz.” The pivotal role changed her life.

“There are different ages in a career and that was the one that put me on the map,” she recalled. “Everybody knew who I was, and it made ‘True Lies’ possible and ‘Rising Sun’ and all these amazing films and TV shows.”

To this day, she still encounters the “I’m not worthy” refrain from the occasional “Wayne’s World” fan. “I am afraid I do. I do quite often and I say rise, yes you are.”

Among her feature roles, in 2002, she was the voice of big sister Nani in Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch.” She has returned to the Hawaii-based Disney project in a new live-action science fiction adaptation.

“I play a totally different character because obviously I’m not 16-year-old Nani. They have a new Nani from Kauai, and Lilo, I think they found her on the Big Island. I play a whole different character and Jason Scott Lee plays a different character. It’s directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, who did ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,’ a wonderful stop motion film. If he embodies ‘Stitch’ with that sort of real heart and soul, I really can’t wait for people to see it. It’s supposed to be out in August.”

Tia Carrere, Daniel Ho and George Kahumoku, Jr. will perform at the Napili Kai Beach Resort’s Aloha Pavilion on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Kihei’s ProArts Playhouse on Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m., and Hana’s Porter Pavilion on Jan. 20 at 6:30 p.m. More details available at www.kahumoku.com/calendar.