Recently, we’ve had the great pleasure of meeting, and getting to know, the talented Miss Brittni Paiva. Born and raised in Hilo, Brittni comes from a Big island family that - at first glance - seems like the typical local-style ‘ohana. But take a second look, and you notice some startling differences. First, the Paiva children were home-schooled. Artistic endeavors, including music, was strongly supported. Second, its an incredibly tight-knit family. Brittni’s mom, LeAnn, is her manager, and closest confidant. “You can’t trust anyone like you do your family,” Brittni tells us.

Then there’s Brittni’s incredible talent. She began wowing audiences at an early age on the piano, then, once her grandpa introduced her to the ukulele, its been an ongoing love affair that continues to evolve. With her very first CD, she was given the MOST PROMISING NEW ARTIST award at the HOKU’S, and today we find Brittni continuing to deliver the goods.

In the next episode of Kama’aina Backroads™, you’ll meet Brittni up close and personal, and we’ll bring you her brand new music video entitled “Riding Honoli’i,” a song she wrote while watching the surfers do their thing at East Hawaii’s well-known surf spot.

Here’s a sneak peek (and premiere) of the music video. Catch it in full resolution broadcast quality on the next expisode of Kama’aina Backroads.
ALSO, Brittni will be visiting various locations of Borders Bookstores in Hawaii over the next few weeks, for in-store performances and CD signings. Her schedule of appearances is listed below the music video below.

Meet Brittni Paiva in person at a Borders Bookstore near you:

Its funny how many of us live in Hawai’i, yet for a number of reasons, rarely get to holoholo neighbor island. Fortunately, with our inter-island airline travel partner Go!, Hawaiiʻs Low Price Airline, more and more kama’āina families are traveling throughout Hawai’i Nei — without breaking the bank.
A couple of weeks ago Go! took us to Maui, where among other things, we enjoyed the show that nationalgeographic.com called “A Spectacular Theatrical Sensation,” ‘Ulalena. Based in the multi-million dollar Maui Theatre, this is a stop you wont want to miss.
Hereʻs a sneak peek at the rough cut of the segment - enjoy!

We recently met up with local-girl-turned-Idaho-resident Malia Collins, while she was in town for the launch of her new book “Santa Takes A Hawaiian Holiday” at Borders Bookstores in Windward Mall. Here’s a sneak peek at the segment, including a quick read from the book by Malia herself! This is the PERFECT gift for lovers of Hawaii - both locally and abroad. On sale now at all Borders Bookstores.

We’ve just visited with the most prolific purveyor of na ‘ukulele, that’s Kamaka ‘Ukulele, located in O‘ahu’s rapidly-changing Kaka‘ako district. Since 1916, this family-run outfit has set the standard in the world of ‘ukulele; the list of luminaries committed to the Kamaka brand is long and rich - from Auntie Genoa Keawe, Bradda Iz, and Troy Fernandez, to the international sensation known as Jake Shimabukuro. They’re ALL Kamaka loyalists.
We met Chris Kamaka - son of Sam Jr., grandson of company founder Samuel, and member of the award-winning Hawaiian music group Ho‘okena. Chris gave us a fascinating tour of their facility, and teased us with their recently produced “Jake” ‘ukulele, an instrument created in partnership with Sony recording artist Jake Shimabukuro and manufactured on a limited basis. According to Chris, only 5,000 were produced, and every one was sold before they were finished (to the tune of $5,000 a piece).
For those of us who didn’t have the good fortune of purchasing one of those 5,000 special Jake models, Chris does a show & tell, then plays what is considered the theme of love, “Ahi Wela.”
So sweet! Watch the full segment soon on Kama‘āina Backroads. For now, here’s a web-exclusive sneak peek.

WATCH THE FULL STORY IN THE CURRENT EPISODE OF KAMA’AINA BACKROADS!