The Month of May 2013 To Feature
The Best And Brightest of Hawai`i’s Music Scene

Music lovers worldwide will rejoice with the 2013 return of the annual “Mele Mei” (Hawaiian translation: “May, Hawaiian Music Month”), a series of workshops, events and performances held throughout various venues in Honolulu and Waikiki on O`ahu.  For the third year in a row, the entire month of May 2013 will be dedicated to featuring an impressive line-up of artists and industry icons, as well as a new generation of musicians, representing each genre of  Hawai`i’s music from traditional  Hawaiian to contemporary, `ukulele to the steel guitar, and reggae to rock-n-roll.

Sponsored by the Hawai`i Academy of Recording Arts (HARA), and the Hawai`i Tourism Authority (HTA), highlights of Mele Mei 2013 include the Lifetime Achievement Awards Luncheon on April 27th honoring those who have helped shape Hawai`i‘s music industry, the first-ever `Ukulele, Slack Key and Steel Guitar Jam on May 19th, which will take place directly across historic Waikiki Beach, and finally the 36th Annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards Show on May 25th, celebrating the best of the best in Hawai`i‘s music industry.  As well, a variety of Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning artists will be participating in the many Mele Mei concert events throughout May 2013.

In 2011, the officers of HARA developed the Mele Mei concept to promote and perpetuate Hawai`i‘s music, composers, and culture on global level.  Mele Mei’s grand finale event is the annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, which was designed to honor and acknowledge outstanding artists, compositions and performers in the Hawai`i music industry.  The idea of Mele Mei was to create a month-long celebration highlighting the signature sounds, diverse talent and genre of Hawai`i‘s music and to share this with a worldwide audience. Hawai`i has no shortage of talent as apparent with an impressive list of singers receiving national acclaim over the years in popular television shows such as American Idol and The Voice.  While traditional music is an important part of Hawaiian culture, Mele Mei’s goal is simply to expose talented artists in the diverse landscape of music as it continues to evolve.

In addition to a variety of concerts and live performances that are scheduled, the continuation of the popular Na Hoku Hanohano Music Festival Workshops will be held on May 24th at the Hawai`i Convention Center.  The unique series of classes not only provide attendees the chance to learn more about various topics of the in’s and out’s of the changing music industry, but also provide an intimate setting with which to have one-on-one time with some of Hawai`i‘s greatest musicians, composers, and educators, and learn their processes for creating mele.