Oahu-raised musician Thunderstorm Artis, who was praised by “The Voice” judge John Legend for his “uplifting presence,” will perform Jan. 2 at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua. Courtesy photo

“My goal is to be a light through my music,” explained Oahu-raised multi-instrumentalist Thunderstorm Artis. “As artists, we have the opportunity to be the messenger and give the world something positive and good to listen to.”

A gifted, soulful entertainer, Artis will return to Maui for a free performance Jan. 2 at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua.

“We did it last year, and it was a lot of fun,” he said. “It will be a trio, and we’re going to include some of my favorite covers like ‘Blackbird.’ I love the Beatles. I’ve covered a few of their songs. I think they’re just so beautifully and elegantly written.”

Now based in Nashville, Artis recently released a re-imagined version of the Christmas classic “O Holy Night” as a gorgeous duet with Sarah Reeves, and a stunning version of Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met” with Drew Ryn, which they had performed on “American Idol.”

“‘O Holy Night’ is one of my favorite Christmas songs, and I finally got to release my own version,” he said. “‘The Night We Met’ was a performance me and Drew did on ‘American Idol.’ It was such a moment that I never wanted to forget, and so we were like, let’s get in the studio and record this. I also put out an original called ‘Useless,’ that I’m really proud of.”

Artis gained national attention when he competed in “The Voice” in 2020 and later in “American Idol” in 2025, with judge John Legend praising his “earnest, uplifting presence,” and James Taylor commenting, “I see him as sort of a version of me.”

Raised in a large musical family, he mastered piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion from an early age. He was named Thunderstorm at birth. His parents had thought they were expecting twins and planned to name one “Thunder” and the other “Storm.” He ended up being named both.

His breakthrough came as a finalist on season 18 of “The Voice,” with moving performances of songs like “Summertime,” “What a Wonderful World” and a blind audition with a unique cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” which inspired all four judges to turn around.

John Legend said, “Your tone was magical.” Nick Jonas marveled that he was “incredible, your vocal control was perfect,” and Blake Shelton praised him as “ridiculously talented.” A front-runner for the season, he came in third.

“It was surreal,” Artis recalled. “As a kid from a small town, I didn’t really think much of myself. So I was like I’m lucky enough if I get one judge to turn. This opportunity kind of came out of nowhere. I didn’t sign up to be on the show. They reached out to me.”

Performing solo to the judge’s backs, “It was intimidating,” he said. “I had my eyes closed from the beginning. So when I opened them and I saw them all staring at me, it was terrifying. Getting a chance to hear from these guys (judges) that they felt I had what it takes to be a real artist was really special. When I got on ‘The Voice,’ I was in my brother’s duo for the longest time, more backup harmony. So this was my breakout.”

Five years later, he mesmerized judges on “American Idol,” with many fans thinking he should have won. He placed in the top five.

Artis opened with his original song “Don’t Let Me Let You Go.” “There’s a point in this competition where we’re looking for people who stand out, and you’ve jumped all the way out,” Lionel Richie said after his performance.

When the show’s contestants were tasked with singing a song from a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Artis picked James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.”

“This was the second time I got to work with James Taylor,” he explained. “He was my knockout advisor on ‘The Voice.’ I’ve been listening to James Taylor since I was in diapers, and I got a chance to work with the man, the myth, the legend. Getting a chance to sing that in front of him was everything, but getting a chance to hear him sing it back to me, that was a dream come true.”

When the competition moved to Oahu, he sang a brilliant reinvention of Bob Marley’s “Is This Love,” with a large band on the outdoor stage, like a contemporary Marvin Gaye.

“Right across the street from that hotel where we did that performance is the Monkeypod restaurant,” he noted. “Growing up, me and my brother would play that restaurant sometimes to five people, sometimes to a group of people. So, getting a chance to do Bob Marley’s ‘Is This Love’ across the street singing in front of the masses was such a crazy thing to do. I wanted to show that I could have a bit of fun and shake it up a bit, and doing it at home was the best place to do that.”

Artis will perform in a free show at 6 p.m. Jan. 2 at The Ritz-Carlton, Maui, Kapalua, as part of The Kapalua Music Series.