The multi-Hōkū winner Taimane recently released a memorable cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair.” Courtesy photo

Four-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner Taimane, will return to The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua on May 18 for a sunset concert with her band and special guest Desert Hollow.

Hawaii’s 2023 and 2019 Favorite Entertainer of the Year, Taimane recently released the extraordinary single “Serpentwined” with a stunning video filmed at the Doris Duke Foundation’s Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design.

Playing ‘ukulele and hammered dulcimer, she melded imagery of Shahmaran, the fabled serpent queen of Indo-Iranian and Turkic folklore with Kalamainu’u, the Hawaiian mo’o wahine lizard goddess hailed for her supernatural powers.

Enraptured by tales of these two reptilian goddesses, Taimane composed “Serpentwined” to demonstrate that the power of these ancient legends never fades.

“That song and video were inspired by my residency as their artist in residence last year,” Taimane explained. “As the artist, I needed to create a song inspired by the place. So I really took inspiration from the Middle Eastern art that Doris Duke loved but then Hawaii is a sense of place. And so I connected two goddesses, a Hawaii mo’o wahine goddess and a Middle Eastern goddess who was a snake goddess, both reptilian and from two completely distant worlds.”

She also released a majestic version of Simon and Garfunkel’s classic rendition of “Scarborough Fair,” that highlights her beautiful voice. Based on a traditional English ballad dating back to the 17th century, “Scarborough Fair” was the lead track of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme” album.

“My dad is originally from Arizona, and he’s really been that influence of the ’70s, the hippie music, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd,” Taimane explained.

“So naturally Simon and Garfunkel’s rendition of ‘Scarborough Fair’ came up, and I loved it. It’s a special novelty kind of thing. I played it at Glastonbury (Festival) as my hana hou. It was special playing ‘Scarborough Fair’ at Glastonbury and having the entire crowd sing it. I realized I should probably play the song more often. I’ve been trying to do more recording covers because I have a lot of original music that’s recorded, but some of my bread-and-butter medleys are not recorded. So this year I’ve been more focused on doing covers.”

Rather than ‘ukulele, she plays guitar on the song. “It’s a Nashville tuning on guitar, which basically means it’s steel string. So it gives it a really ethereal, almost harp-like sound.”

Adding to the song’s allure, Jacob Staron plays cello on it. “He’s been playing cello with me throughout the years and he actually was with me at Glastonbury too,” she said. “I feel like it gives the medieval cinematic feeling to the song.”

Acclaimed for mixing flavors of rock, classical music, fiery flamenco and bossa nova into her original songs, this Oahu-based ‘ukulele virtuoso has a combined global audience of around 50 million for her exotic music videos.

The first musician from Hawaii to perform on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” live show, in 2023 she won Hōkū Awards for Instrumental Album of the Year for “Hawaiki,” and Instrumental Composition of the Year, for “Pipeline’s Daughter,” along with Favorite Entertainer of the Year.

Known for her exciting live performances where she often dances around the stage passionately strumming her ‘ukulele, she has blown away audiences both nationally and abroad.

In late May, she will head out on a tour of Europe with shows in Italy, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the U.K.

“They’re so different from American audiences,” she said. “They want more originals, which I find opposite to when I’m playing on the mainland where they want to hear songs that they know. Europe definitely has a big appreciation for the arts, and so I’m happy for that.”

And on July 6, Taimane and her band will perform “Scarborough Fair” and other songs with the San Francisco Symphony as part of the Stern Grove Festival in the city.

She’s also looking forward to releasing more new music in 2025. “I’m trying to get a song out every couple months, so there’s lots of new music coming out.”

Taimane will perform May 18 at the Alaloa Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua. Desert Hollow will open at 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public, with food and beverage available for purchase. Valet parking for this event is complimentary.