Singer Kevin I. has recorded his first-ever Christmas tune, “Christmas in Our Hearts.” It will be available for purchase and enjoyment in November. So yuletiders – patience is the buzz word now.
Kevin was in town last week, to complete the vocal works on the tune, at David Kauahikaua’s home studio in Kailua.
“It was so great to see and catch up with David,” said Kevin, about the savvy engineer who is notable as the magician behind a cluster of island singers over the decades.
It was Kevin’s first time working with Kauahikaua, but as he said, “I’ve always respected and admired his work especially with Loyal Garner. We reminisced about Loyal and shared some mutual memories. As you know she had a big influence on me.”
Kauahikaua has been the marvelous and notable force behind Frank DeLima’s parodies over the past decades. As a member of Na Kolohe, Kauahikaua was DeLima’s keyboarder (Bobby Nishida was the guitarist) who toiled on the comedian’s parodies, like the recent “Gridlock” tune.
Kevin, of course, is the balladeer from the 1980s. He shelved his music career and opted to take on — successfully — a career in the business community. So he has been like a dormant volcano, idle and quiet over 30+ years.
But his vintage music, mostly available on vinyl in his prime as an island singer, has become a global sensation, triggering his return to the studios with a few new tunes aimed at younger fans tuning in to his romantic ballads. These fans fueled the popularity of his songs on the Spotify charts.
He retired from his fulltime business career and clearly, there were enough sparks to revisit his stint in music.
So stay tuned; I’ve heard the new tracks that will comprise his five-song EP release, dubbed “My Continuum.” which will be available in October.
He hopes the fresh ballads will make him radio-active again, not just in Hawaii, but with his international followers on social media.
But “My Continuum” is not a comeback entity; it’s more like a continuation of Kevin I.’s ]musical journey,
Restaurants are becoming familiar with him, too, since he’s been back and forth for numeral times for meet-and-eat sessions.
“Food was a big part of the adventure—I made sure to get my misoyaki butterfish fix at multiple spots,” said Kevin.
He made multiple treks to Kailua for reunion sessions, including a gathering with his fellow University of Hawaii TIM Alumni Assn. board members including Clyde Min and his wife Hilda. They dined at Faria, a Portuguese eatery.
He met friends and family members for breakfast at Tanaka Saimin, the Iwilei eatery, where he tried the Japanese breakfast, once suggested by Ledward Kaapana.
He also shared a meal with Mimi Sugane, his singing partner when they performed at La Mancha, and they had a phone chat with their group leader, Ron Miyashiro, who no longer is able of meal outings.
The parade of longtime pals included Sandy Tsukiyama, Rachel Gonzales, and his producer-singer-composer Lance Jyo and his wife. Jyo is supervising Kevin’s forthcoming releases, including the new yuletide tune.
I also met Kevin at Zippy’s Kahala, and he has frequented Zippy’s too, along with restaurants like Mililani Korean BBQ, Yagura the Japanese restaurant in Liliha, Koa Pancake House in Kaimuki, Mr. Ojisan Neo in McCully, and Liliha Bakery at Ala Moana Center.
“Of course, no trip is complete without malasadas from Leonard’s,” he said…
And that’s Show Biz…