Entertainment

Making memories on Maui: Charles Esten of ʻNashville’ and ʻOuter Banks’ can’t wait to come back

Returning to Maui after 25 years, actor and singer-songwriter Charles Esten said the Valley Isle showed a lot of aloha when he took the stage at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa for Nashville Nights on Aug. 1.

Created by Esten's friend Kevin Pipal, Nashville Nights invites different artists to showcase their music, stories and talents live on the Halona Kai Event Lawn across from Kaanapali Beach. No two events are the same, giving the island a unique experience it does not always get, as writer rounds are not as frequent in Maui as they are in other places.

"At this Nashville Nights, in this place Lahaina, which is gorgeous by the way, we have such a heart for it and all they have been through," said Esten. "I think about 65-70% of my audience were locals that were in attendance. I love that it is open to the community. I love that Kevin Pipal and the organization there is letting the community know that they are welcomed along with the visitors for everyone to enjoy together."

Esten's introduction to the island came through the improv show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" with Greg Proops, Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood for Catholic Dealers, hosted at the Four Seasons Resort in Wailea.

Given a first-class ticket, Esten traded it in for five coach tickets so he could bring his family, including his three children, who were 2, 3 and 5 years old at the time.

Because Esten's brother-in-law was stationed in Oahu with the Army, Maui made an even greater impression during their six-day trip this summer for Nashville Nights. Esten wasn't just coming to perform, but to immerse himself and his wife in the island's culture as much as possible.

"Oahu we have been blessed to have experienced quite a bit, but Maui we haven't been to since that 25 years ago, so it was great to be back especially on this unbelievable format," said Esten. "If you are based in Maui, go get a little taste of Nashville. Us Nashville folks love to come to Maui, and we are happy to bring Nashville to you."

Esten's song, "Somewhere In the Sunshine," included on his 2024 album, "Love Ain't Pretty," was a testament to what heaven could look like. Esten said he believes the song also resembles Maui.

"It moved me tremendously to sing that song in a place that wasn't only somewhere in the sunshine, but had been through such a hard time," said Esten. "Life is hard, so what do you do when life gets hard? How do you hold onto your faith, family and hopes?"

For Esten, questions about whether he prefers acting or singing and songwriting often lead to another: What kind of acting does he prefer -- comedy and improv, drama such as Deacon Claybourne in "Nashville," or suspenseful action drama such as Ward Cameron in "Outer Banks"? Over time, Esten said he realized that acting and songwriting heavily overlap and inform each other in many ways.

"When you songwrite, especially in country music, you wear many hats -- play many characters," said Esten. "Great artists like Bruce Springsteen did not really work in a mill. Billy Joel isn't from Allentown. They create these characters and these voices and speak as truthfully as they can."

The characters Esten plays on screen have also found their way into his songwriting, allowing him to explore different perspectives through music. He compared it to "a guitar that has not been picked up," saying he wants "to get those strings to vibrate."

Esten has not written any songs from Ward Cameron's perspective, but he believes it could be done. He said he has some things in common with the character, including his love for his family and the desire to be a better man.

However, Esten has written songs from Deacon Claybourne's place of hurt. Unlike Deacon, Esten grew up with a loving family and did not experience the same struggles and pain, but he said walking in those boots while filming the show helped him to understand the character. Later, he was able to draw from that experience as he wrote some of his songs.

"I think it is a massively helpful ability to be able to step outside yourself and write from somebody else's perspective, as they are both construed with truth," said Esten, who added, "If you are striving for perfection, you're at the wrong place."

Whether he is on stage or in front of the camera, Esten said his goal is to make people feel something.

"Plenty of people play the guitar, piano and sing better than me. Instead of aiming at perfection, I aim at connection," said Esten. "Oftentimes when we don't deal with certain things in our own life, and we watch a TV show about some character you've never met that's fictional that’s going through the same thing, it just hits you as we are more vulnerable then. I want your heart to move in you, to feel something. Whatever that is, that is my goal."

Esten explained that performing can give him a shared feeling between the artist and the audience, something he said he felt firsthand while performing on Maui.

"I think people would be surprised at how much I'm out there with them, as much as they're up there with me," said Esten.

Whether it is a song that helps people open up about their feelings, a scene in a TV show that raises their blood pressure or a simple line that makes them laugh, any feeling his work evokes is particularly meaningful to Esten.

"I was singing one of my final songs of the night and a couple got up in the middle of it," said Esten. "I thought they were leaving as though they had to go, but as I kept singing, I looked over and they walked over to the side to slow dance. That was another great moment that I liked a whole lot from that evening."

Esten said one of his favorite memories performing on Maui came during this Nashville Night, when he taught the audience a line from one of his original songs.

"Hearing the audience during singalong moments -- because I don't have No. 1 hits -- those country bangers that have been on the radio forever, so when I was singing one of my songs after teaching them a part of it, then hearing them sing along, was huge to me," he said.

Maui created a core memory for Esten and his family 25 years ago, and the Valley Isle apparently did it again Aug. 1 with Nashville Nights. Esten said not only would he like to come back to Maui, he needs to.

"I would absolutely return to perform for Nashville Nights. When they'll have me back, I'll do it again for sure," said Esten. "Like most tourists who have been there once or twice, we only scratched the surface. ... Everyone was so kind. It felt very heartfelt -- a lot of aloha on Maui. It only made us want more. In fact, the only thing we missed was having our kids there. We all need to come back."