Introduction
Hawaii is situated on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, and the population is composed of the Polynesian tribes, a native collection of people and subcultures that have inhabited the Islands since 170 AD. The population was secluded from the rest of the world for more than 500 years before the British invaded America. The native population went through a period of threat, when the population reduced from 300,000 people to a paltry 24,000 persons, thanks to disease and disruption by visitors who invaded the islands (Ng and Arya). Nonetheless, the culture of the Hawaii people remained strong, overcame the tough times, the economic adversities (when the government forcefully took their land) and the period of decline. Today, Hawaii has one of the largest indigenous populations in America, and the people are welcoming and hospitable. The Hawaii people still practice their traditional religions, though, as expected, some of them have shifted to religions like Christianity. Over the last one hundred years, a lot of changes have happened to the people of Hawaii, the western practices have diluted their indigenous cultures. The following paper will take a journey through the local radio stations, the broadcasts and adverts then draw a quick comparison with the history of Hawaii. The idea will be to study Conservancy in Hawaii, or stated in different terms, to find out how modernity has influenced the people and music of Hawaii.
Hawaii Contemporary Music KINE-FM
The contemporary music sounds like a recreation of the traditional Hawaii Music, but with a lighter touch of emotion, a faster guitar rhythm, and softer voices. Comparing the songs composed after the turn of the century with earlier music, like Kamakawiwoole Somewhere over the Rainbow, a Hawaii classic song loved by everyone, one gets the feeling that the guitar has lost its prominence. That does not hold true for the songs sang in the local language, like Hapa’s Lei Pikake a song that played two times inside one hour on the Kine FM (O’Connell).
The first pick from the radio playlist is the attempt to conserve the Hawaii music, instrumentals, and poeticism, while at the same time, attaching some level of influence from other musical genres in an attempt to export the music to other people in America and the world. Drawing an example from Jamaica’s reggae music, for example, one can say that most artists in Hawaii recognize the need for an increased listenership; hence they make the music less indigenous to remove the heavy burden of culture for people who do not have a firsthand experience with the Hawaii culture.
Perhaps, the finest example of that departure from deep Hawaii beat and emotion is the song Opihi Man by the Ka’au Crater Boys. The pace is fast, faster than what one would expect from Hawaii music and the guitar is struck with a concentration on its marriage with their voices. It looks like the lyrical aspect of the music is more important that the instrument. Traditionally, Hawaii music was concentrated on the tunes of the guitar, and the focus would be seconded by the dance moves, which were slow and sexy. The music of the Indian people comes to mind while describing the traditional Hawaii music.
Lyrically, the vibe in the music carries the pains and the experiences of the Hawaii people. The history of the people, especially after they lost their ancestral land to the colonialists, and the increased levels of poverty that followed that disenfranchisement is reflected in the tunes and lyrics of the songs. The song Crazy by Kapena talks about a certain boy who could not make a decision about his life, about his history and future. The confusion is one that faces many people in the islands of Hawaii, and they have to choose between following the footsteps of their ancestors or taking a swipe and picking the ways of contemporary America.
Love as a subject features heavily, and emotionally, in the Hawaii music. The playlist on Kine FM featured many love-themed songs, reflecting how the theme is important to the Hawaii people, just like any other genre of music. The sensation of the music has a touch of history; Malani Bilyeu’s Moloka’i is the perfect testament of this contemporariness combined with a touch of history. The song throws the listener to a throwback of when New York was a good place, relating it with the singer’s longing to see his lover and touch her. The song draws a comparison with the countryside Hawaii and the sun that illuminated the smiles of the people. The uniqueness of the artist's approach to love reveals the authenticity of the Hawaii people, or in a better way, the eccentricity of the Hawaii people.
Adverts
Like many other radio stations across the country, Kine FM features regular adverts that oscillate around issues like consumption, taxation, debt, and education. One of the adverts was promoting pencils and books for school going children at a time when the summer was closing, and many schools slated to open in September. The other adverts promoted a certain type of wheat flour, sorting out debt with the credit association and easy ways to file tax returns and credits. That shows the growth of the Hawaii society into a modern community and the influence of capitalism on the culture of the people.
Hawaiians are targeted by the corporate world in that they are encouraged to spend money on the range of products available in the market. The radio station depends on such consumerism adverts to make money, showing the way culture influences people and entire communities. The adverts are placed between music, after a period of fifteen minutes. The approach of the station is to encourage people to keep listening to music, and taking breaks to inform them about the products that they need to buy for their consumption. The ‘less talk more music’ approach by Kine FM targets the young people who stay away from participating in radio shows.
News
The news presenter reads the updates once every hour, giving prominence to the local news before shifting to national news. There is little coverage of international news probably because the Hawaii community is very enclosed. The way the Hawaii people lived for 500 years secluded in the Pacific Islands before their land was invaded, they still hold the same features of seclusion with their focus on local news and local music. That partly explains why the island is a favored tourist destination where tourists are interested in tasting the cultures of the locals, the way they do when they go to Africa to see the people and the indigenous cultures. The Hawaii music, adverts and news on Kine Fm in Hawaii reveals a culture that is proud of itself, an enclosed community and a well-knit society. The influence of other genres of music in Hawaiian music is a testament to the struggle of the culture of Hawaiians to break through and get distributed to other people in many parts of the world.
Works Cited
Ng, Franklin, and Anita Nahal Arya. “Hawaii: An Ethnic Synthesis.” The Journal of American History 82.1 (1995): 222. Web.
O’Connell, Maureen. Top 5 favorite Hawaii music artists (ever): HAWAII magazine Facebook poll results. Hawaii Magazine, 30 Dec. 2014. Web. 1 Sept. 2016.
