Kūkahi and the Love Machine
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu
Kūkahi Allan Nu‘uanu Lee was only seven years old when he wrote his first song. Very interested in music at a young age, he was drawn to the piano and taught himself to play by ear at the age of six. His parents Shane and Monica (Maka) Lee recognized his musical talent and hired a piano tutor so he could learn to read sheet music.
Ten years later, Kūkahi was the youngest musician to receive the prestigious 2017 Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for his self-titled 2016 release Kūkahi, in the best alternative album category.
After Kūkahi learned the basics of reading musical notes, he began to take up other instruments. He is mostly self-taught, having learned to play the keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion instruments, and the ‘ukulele.
“When I was really young, my parents got me Michael Jackson’s CD Number Ones. That was what made me want to become a musician in the first place,” Kūkahi said. “I’d listen to that record over and over again.” He also names Selena as one of his idols because of her family band, as well as Prince, Queen, and David Bowie.
His father Shane Lee, who is his producer, says Kūkahi wanted an electric guitar after learning to play chords on an acoustic guitar. He replied that if Kūkahi wanted an electric guitar, he would have to learn at least 10 songs note by note, to show he was serious about it. Kūkahi learned 10 songs and got his electric guitar.
Part of the magic of Kūkahi’s story is that he began creating his own melodies, spending a lot of time on his own putting songs together. He attended Parker School and at the age of 14, and took a songwriting class. His interest in songwriting was piqued and that is when he began composing and collecting material that went onto his first award-winning EP (extended play record, which contains more tracks than a single but is shorter in duration than an album).
The first song he ever wrote was “Raw,” a tribute to Freddie Mercury. His process is playing a guitar lick, adding a drum machine, bass and synthesizer, all on his computer. The lyrics to his songs develop after he has the song in place. His mother Maka is a musician herself, and has assisted Kūkahi with writing the lyrics to his songs.
A fascinating note (and nod to Kūkahi’s talent) is he wrote and recorded his first EP in his bedroom “recording closet,” all on his Mac’s Garage Band program. “It was like songwriting school for me,” says Kūkahi. “Now I know a lot more, but looking back, I did a lot of things in my music that was experimental.”
When he first began writing music, it was an emotional outlet, Kūkahi explains. He struggled with social anxiety, yet the more he wrote and performed, he became more outgoing and confident. He believes in spreading positive messages and his songs are about daily life, getting out of heartbreak or dealing with anxiety or depression. His goal is to empower others, and he tries to impart his encouraging messages through his performances.
Kūkahi says his first EP was released when he was 16, and his music got radio play in Europe, mostly France and Russia. Some of his songs drifted to US college stations. His parents submitted the album on the ballots for the Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards. He was 17 when he went to Honolulu to attend the award ceremony.
“To be honest, I didn’t know what it was about,” Kūkahi says. “When I got there, it was a huge room with thousands of people. It was fancy and glamorous and much bigger than I thought. The world opened up a lot for me, with new opportunities.”
His first album features songs that range from hard rock, dance, slow songs, old school rap, to punk inspired. His style crosses multiple genres, and the music he creates reflects his talent.
Kūkahi gave out business cards and happened to pass his information to a radio DJ from Japan. This is how he got to perform in Japan after he won his award. He has now performed in Hawai‘i, the US mainland, Canada, and Japan.
Kūkahi has since released a CD entitled Human, which showcases songs about love, angst, encouragement, compassion, and anger. “Because no matter what differences people may have, we are all human,” Kūkahi says.
Shane and Maka are producing a family band. All five of their children have musical talent, Kūkahi being the eldest. Sister Monica, who is 15 years old, plays bass guitar. Thirteen-year-old brother Keli‘i plays both keyboard and synthesizer. His sister, 11-year-old Alana, keeps rhythm on the drums, and youngest sister, 10-year-old Mālie, accompanies with acoustic/rhythm guitar.
Shane says each of his children are talented, and with Kūkahi showing them the ropes, all of the siblings are now part of the Kūkahi and the Love Machine band.
s“We are fortunate as a family,” says Shane. “We homeschool our children, and it opens up their brains. We’re trying to take it to the next level and will submit our information to America’s Got Talent. Instead of solo Kūkahi, we are submitting our talent as a family band.”
Shane says people have compared the band to the Partridge Family. In Japan, he says, people have commented they are comparable to the Jackson Five. Though Kūkahi’s siblings play their various instruments and are eager to be on stage, they have yet to join in the vocals. For now, Maka helps with back-up vocals while on stage and the goal of the siblings is to eventually play each other’s instruments.
Though his brothers and sisters love being in the family band, they are jittery until they get on stage, says Kūkahi. They feel more confident when people respond to their music by getting up and dancing, and adds that with the encouragement of their parents, they are becoming more courageous on stage.
With three CDs out and working on more original music, Kūkahi enjoys composing the music that comes to him. Maka co-writes the lyrics, and Kūkahi says he feels he has accomplished a lot already. He uses Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram to put his music and information out into the world, and now they are working to play at various music festivals.
The family practices together almost every day. Before a show, Kūkahi says they rehearse at least six hours at a minimum. They get along well together and when the family plays music, there is a camaraderie among them that shows.
Even with three CDs released, Kūkahi still lays tracks in his recording closet. He puts a big blanket over the door and his siblings record one at a time, playing their tracks separately on his new songs.
For Kūkahi, his goal is to be where Bruno Mars was in his early twenties. For Shane, it is to support his kids as they blossom in the musical world and create a niche by being a family band. The recording industry may peg musicians to play only one type of music, Shane says, but for Kūkahi as a songwriter, it doesn’t matter what he writes, whether it is in the genre of rap, dance or pop, it’s hard for a multi-talented musician to stick with one type of genre. He hopes to find a label that supports the idea that a multi-talented musician can play many types of music.
“This is cliché but true: if I can do it, you can do it, and that is the biggest advice I could give to any aspiring artist,” says Kūkahi. “It’s hard work, but worth it, and if you are going to take this kind of lifestyle seriously, you have to be dedicated.” ❖
Photos courtesy of Colin Edsman
For more information: brandspankingku.com
