Taimane Gardner, known simply as Taimane<\/u><\/a>, is an \u02bbukulele virtouso who started her career entertaining tourists on the streets of Waik\u012bk\u012b. Today, she is known for her bold performances which meld together classical music, flamenco, metal and rock in ways that are sometimes meditative and other times sultry. Her instruments are the \u02bbukulele and her ethereal voice. And now, the N\u0101 H\u014dk\u016b Hanohano-award-winning musician \u2014 whose name means \u201cdiamond\u201d in Samoan \u2014 is releasing new music.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI’m coming out with a new song called \u02bbP<\/span>\u012bkake Princess,\u2019 coming out October 10, and this song was inspired by Princess Ka\u02bbiulani and our similarities,\u201d she told Aloha State Daily.<\/span><\/p>\n On Thursday, Oct. 16, Gardner will perform the song, which was commissioned by Outrigger Waik\u012bk\u012b Paradise Hotel, as part of a celebration of Princess Ka\u02bbiulani\u2019s 150th birthday, honoring the place she called home, \u2018\u0100inahau, in Waik\u012bk\u012b. The event<\/u><\/a> starts at 5 p.m. and features a lei draping ceremony, performances from Irie Love<\/u><\/a>, flowers by Ocean Dreamer Floral Artistry Hawai\u02bbi and a market featuring local vendors from Art + Flea.<\/span><\/p>\n Gardner has won multiple N\u0101 H\u014dk\u016b Hanohano Awards<\/u><\/a>, including ones for entertainer of the year, instrumental composition of the year and instrumental album of the year. She also performed for National Public Radio\u2019s series Tiny Desk Concert, and the video has 1.7 million views. Recently, she was an artist-in-residence at Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design<\/u><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n She can play classical favorites such as \u201cCarmen\u201d with the Hawai\u02bbi Symphony Orchestra<\/u><\/a> at Hawai\u02bbi Theatre and the national anthem at a men\u2019s volleyball game at the University of Hawai\u02bbi. Sometimes, she even combines genres in a single song.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat inspires my mash-up medleys with the classical music and the metal and the classic rock is I love listening to those types of music,\u201d she said. \u201cThe \u02bbukulele would just so happen to be the instrument that I use to express myself, which makes it even more cool and unique.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n After getting the request to write a song for Princess Ka\u02bbiulani, Gardner \u201cimmediately went into research mode,\u201d she wrote on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cThey asked me to create a song for her, but if she were Gen Z, if she were Millennial,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cI thought that concept was so cool, so I created the song \u02bbP\u012bkake Princess.\u2019 But I also wanted it to be about the similarities between us, because I didn’t want to try and pretend to be her, because I’m not her. I found similarities that were true about both of us. And that’s how the song \u02bbPikake Princess\u2019 came about.\u201d<\/p>\n Gardner went to the Bishop Museum, which features some of Princess Ka\u02bbiulani\u2019s things, to get inspiration.<\/p>\n \u201cI really wanted to get a feel for her and her story,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then as I was writing and researching, I realized how many similarities that we had. She was a world traveler. She spent a lot of time in Europe. She played music. And she also was half caucasian, half Polynesian, and so I really connected with that. And I think the most important thing that was important to both of us, is really just to make Hawai\u02bbi proud. We’re just local girls. There\u2019s one little lyric that I love. It’s: \u02bbWe’re women of the world, but we’re also coconut girls.\u2019 \u2019\u2019<\/p>\n Gardner recently returned from an approximately month-long tour in Europe, where she completed 12 concerts in six countries:<\/u><\/a> Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe thing that I love about performing live in different areas of the world is their reactions are very different,\u201d she said. \u201cFor example, in America, they love covers. They love music that they already know, and they can hear it in a fresh way. Europe loves originals. They love to hear the artist’s heart, which is a really refreshing and great feeling too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Gardner also wrote the music for the independent movie \u201cChaperone,\u201d<\/u><\/a> which was filmed in Hilo and named the best breakout feature at the\u00a0Slamdance Film Festival<\/u><\/a>\u00a0in 2024. In September, that movie screened in theaters on O\u02bbahu, Hawai\u02bbi Island and Maui. To write the soundtrack, she watched the visuals and created the score to go with it, she said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI perform live which is very extroverted, but then I also do music for films, as well, which is very introverted,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing in the recording studio, it’s very intimate, quiet, sterile, compared to a loud event.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Gardner got her start performing on the streets of Waik\u012bk\u012b, which taught her how to respond to crowds. She was mentored by Don Ho and took \u02bbukulele lessons from Jake Shimabukuro<\/u><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think I was around 12 years old, back in the day, and that was a really good way for me to hone my skills \u2014 to see what people liked,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause you got to remember, these people are walking. They’re going somewhere. So what captures their attention? It’s a great way to practice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While she may appear extroverted on stage, Gardner is not.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSecretly, I’m an introvert,\u201d she said. \u201cThere’s an aspect of performing, which I love, but I definitely feel like I need to reset my batteries after. It’s a lot of energy out, and I am an introvert, so my way to refresh my batteries is actually I take a bath, and it\u2019s kind of weird, but I turn the lights off, and I just like to be in my little bathtub.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her love of music came early.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy dad gave me my very first \u02bbukulele when I was five, and I pretended to be a rock star, j<\/span>ust playing in front of the mirror until I broke a string,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cMy dad got me into some classes, and from then on, I just loved performing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Follow Gardner <\/em>on Instagram<\/u><\/a>, Spotify<\/u><\/a> or YouTube<\/u><\/a> and find upcoming shows on her website<\/u><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n For the latest news of Hawai\u2018i,\u00a0sign up here<\/u><\/a> for our free Daily Edition newsletter.<\/em><\/p>\n Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Taimane](\"https:\/\/aloha-state-daily-img.imgix.net\/Articles\/Brock-Ladd2.JPG?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=compress&fm=webp\")
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