Jourdan Thibodeaux, who has been hailed as the future of Cajun music, will perform today and Saturday at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua. Courtesy photo

The CBS News show “60 Minutes” recently proclaimed Jourdan Thibodeaux “Cajun music’s equivalent of a rock star,” saying he has become “something of a global ambassador for Cajun country and its way of life.”

Thibodeaux is among the artists who will perform at the Maui Jazz & Blues Festival at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, on Saturday. He will be joined by Grammy winner Wilson Savoy and Grammy-nominated accordion player Roddie Romero. They also play today at a “Cajun Zydeco Blues Jubilee” at the resort.

“We’re going to bring a little bit of the swamp over there, show y’all how we was raised, how we do things,” Thibodeaux said. “It’s pretty different from the rest of the U.S. I think that’s something Hawaiian people can relate to. It’s technically part of the U.S., but it’s a whole different world.”

Known for his authenticity and one of the few young people speaking Cajun French today, Thibodeaux was hailed as “the future of Cajun music” by Acadiana Profile Magazine.

“I just play what’s in my heart,” he said. “I tell stories about my life. Everything I write is a true story about my life, my experiences, my feelings.”

Jourdan Thibodeaux took the Louisiana music scene by storm with his debut album, “Boue, Boucane et Bouteilles,” released in 2018. Courtesy photo

A cultural expression from southwest Louisiana, Cajun music is rooted in the folk traditions of Acadian French-speaking exiles, blending with Indigenous American, African and other European influences. Typically accordion and fiddle-driven, it’s often sung in Cajun French with a unique, syncopated rhythm, and features dance styles like one-steps and waltzes.

“All of my music, I don’t even say Cajun music,” he explained. “I say Louisiana French music. We actually have six different genres of music. The Cajun most people are familiar with (is) like dancehall-style Cajun music. To distinguish that from zydeco, you would be talking about the difference between George Strait and Otis Redding. One’s way more R&B, and the other’s a lot more like country style. They both come from the same root: old Louisiana French music and Creole la-la. I do kind of a mix across the board. Some songs might be in an old Cajun style; some might be an old Creole la-la. Some of it traces its roots back 700 years. I don’t cover all the genres. I don’t do no swamp pop or zydeco.”

Initially growing up playing drums, he switched to the fiddle at age 25, playing his region’s traditional music. “My grandmother died, and that was the music we had listened to together all the time,” he said. “I made up my mind: This is what I’m going to do. I’m going to learn to play this music, and I’m going to keep it going like we was raised.”

His debut album, “Boue, Boucane et Bouteilles” (“Mud, Smoke and Bottles”), featured all-original Cajun French songs, backed by a stellar lineup. After taking the Louisiana music scene by storm with his album in 2018, Thibodeaux and the band Les Rôdailleurs developed a reputation for pairing ancient traditions with incomparable energy.

Helping preserve his culture, on his latest brilliant album, “La Prière,” the title track sounds almost tribal African when it opens. He rocks out on “Batailleur,” and digs into swampy blues on “C2MPK42D,” while “One step de Rôdailleur” is even more bluesy.

Reviewing the album, New Orleans Offbeat Magazine noted: “While every tune is remarkably performed, the last track, the mind-blowing ‘La Prière’ transcends everything. It’s a powerful call to action urging Cajuns to embrace their culture and immerse themselves in their language.”

“I’m proud of who we are as a people,” he said. “I’m proud that we exist. As far as preservation goes, I like to maintain the way things always have been. That’s how it’s always been in my life. I don’t want to change. I don’t want to see everything that I know become something different. I don’t want all of our family traditions to go away. I just want to maintain who we are as a people, because I like who we are as a people.”

Playing with Thibodeaux at the Maui shows, Wilson Savoy fell in love with rock ‘n’ roll and blues piano as a teen hearing Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles. Later, he picked up one of his father’s accordions, and then a Cajun fiddle. In the mid-2000s, he formed the Cajun band the Pine Leaf Boys. In 2012 he won a Grammy in the Regional Roots category for the album “Courtbouillon” with local legends Wayne Toups and Steve Riley.

Born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, Roddie Romero sought out Cajun and zydeco performances at clubs and was enamored with local legends like Buckwheat Zydeco. Calling his music “South Louisiana boogie,” he performs with the three-time Grammy-nominated band The Hub City All Stars.

Thibodeaux will perform today at the Maui Jazz & Blues Festival’s “Cajun Zydeco Blues Jubilee” with Savoy and Romero at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua. Plus, Chris Thomas King will perform with the Maui Jazz & Blues Festival Trio. The cost is $10. The festival’s main event will be from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Aloha Garden Pavilion. Tickets are available at www.mauijazzandbluesfestival.com.