Island Beat

Kaylee Shimizu, one of Hawaii’s “The Voice” contestants, is back home in the islands. Last week, the 18-year-old was eliminated during the “playoffs” round. She delivered a powerful rendition of Quincy Jones’ “You Put a Move on my Heart,” but Coach John Legend chose other singers to move on. Despite leaving the show, she has a bright future ahead. In this episode of Island Beat, she reflects on he...

For Hawaii’s Pashyn Santos and Allison Chu, competing in the Netflix series “Squid Game: The Challenge” was unlike anything they’ve ever done. Out of some 90,000 applicants from around the world, Santos and Chu were both chosen to be in a cast of 456 people vying for a chance to win $4.56 million. Santos — a writer, actress and comedian — was player 368. Meanwhile, Chu — former Miss Hawaii and Mis...

Hawaii’s Kaylee Shimizu continues to shine on NBC’s “The Voice” as she gets ready for the playoffs round. The Ewa Beach girl just turned 18 earlier this week. In this episode of Island Beat, we check in on Shimizu to see how she's preparing for the next round of the singing competition.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The newest Netflix reality series “Squid Game: The Challenge” is making its debut this week. Casting producer Bobby Silva, who was part of the West Coast team, said there are 456 people from all over the world competing in the show. This was the biggest project he’s ever worked on, he said. As a Kailua native and Mid-Pacific Institute graduate, Silva said he always aims to find Hawaii people to ca...

For Maui comedian Jose Raymond, laughter has helped him get through some of the toughest moments of his life. One of those moments: Escaping the Lahaina wildfire in August. A comedian who was born in Mexico, Raymond grew up in Watts in California and has spent the last 18 years living on Maui. But the day of the Lahaina wildfires changed his life. In the latest episode of Island Beat, Raymond shar...

Hawaii girl Kaylee Shimizu continues to impress on NBC's “The Voice.” The 17-year-old from Ewa Beach belted out an incredible rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way” in Monday night’s “knockout round.” In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V gets an update from Kaylee on what it was like competing against fellow contestants in Team John and what life in Los Angeles has been like lately.  See...

Jason Arcilla, of Maui, continues to make Hawaii proud with his successful run on the latest season of "The Voice." He stunned the judges with his chair-turning performance during the blind audition and most recently survived the battle round, defending his spot on Team Gwen. The Pukalani native says he's proud to represent the state, especially after a difficult time for his home island of Maui. ...

Kaylee Shimizu, of Ewa Beach, made Hawaii proud after singing her rendition of "Golden Slumbers" during the blind auditions of NBC's "The Voice." Her performance wowed the coaches as all four of them turned their chairs for her. Ultimately, the 17-year-old chose to be on John Legend's team. Shimizu has been singing since the age of 6 and has enjoyed entertaining and performing in front of crowds s...

A new film that sheds light on the challenges and struggles of growing up in Hawaii is set to premiere in theaters this Friday. Hawaii native James Sereno is the filmmaker behind “Growing Up Local” — which explores three generations of the Nagata family. Sereno said the film is “all local,” meaning everyone who worked on the project — from the writing to the cast and crew — has roots in the island...

There's been a lot of buzz about Roman De Peralta, the heart and soul behind the esteemed Hawaiian recording group Kolohe Kai, after Iam Tongi sang his song "Cool Down" at the "American Idol" finale. Amid all the buzz, De Peralta has also recently released a fresh new track titled “Hope,” in a time when the world could use it the most. The song is a poignant commentary on the issues plaguing socie...

It's been quite the year for Lauren Teruya, who represented the state as Miss Hawaii 2022! Under her platform "Arts for All," Teruya spent much of the year traveling to the Neighbor Islands, the mainland and Japan — working with students and teachers on ways to incorporate arts and culture into schools' curriculum.  But one of the biggest moments of her time as Miss Hawaii was competing in the Mis...

Kenny Tagavilla is a truck driver and hot rod enthusiast. But he's also a recording artist.  Born and raised on Hawaii Island, the Honaunau native is making a new EP.  One of his latest songs, "Kona Grown," is a nostalgic look back at the community and how fast things seem to be changing.  In the latest episode of Island Beat, Billy V spoke with Tagavilla about his upbringing on Hawaii Island and...

Radio and television personality Mele Apana is gearing up for her 14th annual Mother’s Day show, featuring a host of local entertainers. The show first started back in May of 2006 and has been going strong since. In the years since, Apana has donated many of the proceeds from her Mother’s Day show to children who are sick, some of them with cancer. In the latest episode of Island Beat, Billy V cha...

The biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time is bringing his talents to Hawaii, but he doesn’t have to travel too far. “Weird Al” Yankovic is performing at the Blaisdell Concert Hall on Oahu on March 25 and Castle Theater on Maui on March 26 as part of his “Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour." The show will feature his non-parody material, rather than focus on the hits...

Na Hoku Hano Hano Award-winning artist Josh Tatofi recently came back from being on tour in Australia and Aotearoa. He was only supposed to do a couple of gigs that would be small just to test the waters. A couple hundred swelled to 700, then 1,200-seat venues.  The 1,200-seat venue sold out in about an hour. Overall, Tatofi wound up doing seven sold-out shows. In the latest episode of “Island Bea...

Candice Hatakeyama always knew she wanted to be on stage. But she never imagined she’d realize her dream of being on Broadway soon after graduating from college. Just last month, the Honolulu native and Punahou School graduate made her Broadway debut with the cast of “Funny Girl,” alongside former “Glee” actress Lea Michele. In this episode of Island Beat, Hatakeyama talks about how her upbringing...

The Hawaiian music group Walea wrapped up 2022 with a big achievement: winning several Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. The group -- comprised of Koanui-Souza, David “Kekoa” Woodward and Kings Kalohelani -- won Hoku Awards for “most promising artist of the year,” “hoku mele of the year” and “liner notes of the year.” Heading into 2023, Walea has some exciting plans, including trips to Japan and even more...

One of Broadway’s biggest musicals made its debut in Hawaii last month, proving to be a huge hit. DeAundré Woods plays the title role of Alexander Hamilton, and Morgan Anita Wood plays Eliza Hamilton. In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V chats with the two main stars of "Hamilton" to find out what it's like to perform in such a huge show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a surprise announcement made on the “Tamron Hall Show,” a Hawaii-based nonprofit program learned Monday that it won a prestigious national music award. The Lewis Prize for Music presented Hawaii’s Mana Maoli with a $500,000 Accelerator Award. Founded in 1999, Mana Maoli is a collective of educators, artists, musicians and more who share a common goal of community empowerment. In 2013, the Mana...

Calvin Dorn, founder of Paradise Helicopters, has been flying helicopters for decades. But flying over lava from the Mauna Loa eruption was unlike anything he’s ever experienced. The day after the eruption on Nov. 27, Dorn took a group of media personnel up into the sky to capture footage of the spectacular event. In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V hears more from Dorn about his amazing exper...

Hawaii recording artist Kimie Miner has had quite the year. This past summer, she went to Portugal. But it wasn’t just any trip. She went to the Azores, where her family is from, to learn more about her Portuguese heritage – and her identity. In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V chats with Kimie about how this trip has inspired some new music coming up, as well as her upcoming Christmas tour. ...

In this episode of Island Beat, we talk about scholarships for Native Hawaiian students. Hoala Greevy is founder CEO of Paubox, a provider of HIPAA compliant email solutions targeting health care organizations. Paubox is now offering scholarships to encourage Native Hawaiians to pursue STEM careers. Billy V chats with Greevy about this unique opportunity for college students. See omnystudio.com/li...

Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner Stacie Kuulei recently released her newest album called “Sweet Baby.” The Kauai native started singing at an early age and has kept music in her life through the years. But when she’s not singing, you can find her in a classroom … as a school teacher. In this episode, Billy V talks story with Kuulei to learn more about her fascinating life and career.    See omnystudi...

The Hawaii International Film Festival kicks off Nov. 3 with "The Wind and the Reckoning." The film centers on the real-life events of the 19th century leprosy outbreak and the events of the Koolau Rebellion in Hawaii. In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V talks to two of the movie's stars: Hawaii actors Jason Scott Lee, who plays Koolau, and Lindsay Watson, who plays Piilani. They share what it...

It’s been two years since Haleiwa native Thunderstorm Artis made Hawaii proud as a top three finalist on NBC’s “The Voice.” Since then, it’s been nothing but good things for the singer-songwriter — from releasing new music to touring with big names like Train and Jack Johnson. One of his songs was even featured in an episode of the hit TV series “Grey’s Anatomy.” All of that while also keeping bus...