Hoku

Nearly 20 years later, Hoku, which means “star” in Hawaiian, has settled in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and embarked on her own musical path. She candidly told POLLSTAR that she has already achieved her musical goal appearing on MTV. “I’ve already made it in my own eyes,” she said. She is also proud to be a Christian and would happily return to Hawaii to share the stage with Dad, permanently. Learning about her musical roots, religious beliefs and what makes her happy shed light on the teen’s viewpoint of the music business and her career.

“I always knew I was gonna be a singer. I just thought maybe I’d sing with my dad the rest of my life. … I had outlets [to sing] in Hawaii, so having this recording deal wasn’t a big deal to me,” the island native said.

“I’m not the type of person who really cares about being famous. This isn’t something that I’ve worked for all my life. This isn’t my big dream. … I started out with my dad and he always taught me that if you can’t look at this career as if it’s gonna end tomorrow and still be as happy as you would be if it was gonna last forever, then you’re not doing it for the right reasons. … If it ever gets too much for me, I don’t care about not being a part of it anymore.”

It’s not that she’s ungrateful for the opportunity to achieve mainland success. She just takes it in stride. Among her accomplishments is her debut gold single, “Another Dumb Blonde,” released earlier this year and featured on the “Snow Day” soundtrack. Its video was a favorite on MTV’s “Total Request Live.” Last month, she performed at the World Music Awards in Monaco and her debut album, Hoku, is climbing the album chart. She was also voted favorite new female singer in a poll by cable network Nickelodeon.

The exotic Hawaiian, Portuguese, English and Scottish singer is learning the ropes of touring, but its importance is already clear. “It’s everything,” she said. “You want people to start recognizing you as an artist and not as a song.”

Her schedule includes cross-country radio promos through mid-July. Her second single, “How Do I Feel (The Burrito Song),” and its accompanying video are expected to be released this month. On July 11th, she joins the Disney Prem-ear tour in St. Louis, where she will co- headline with BBMak. Her last day on the tour is August 3rd in San Francisco.

Teaming with Disney is a far cry from sharing the stage with the senior Ho. The only one of his 10 kids to follow in his footsteps, she started performing regularly with him when she was 11 years old. When she was 15, producer Antonina Armato, who has worked with Mariah Carey and Vanessa Williams, caught her act. After their meeting, she signed with Geffen Records and Armato co-wrote four of her CD’s songs. Hoku confirmed the one-album contract was for about $300,000 and said that if Geffen picks her up again, the deal would include two new albums.

Ironically, she said her most difficult challenge followed her signing. “My biggest struggle is the quest to keep everything that I do as innocent as possible. In this business, everyone’s afraid to try something new because basically, what they do is see a formula that works like young, blond pop star becomes a superstar with ‘Baby One More Time’ and they want to re-create that. … They wanted to make me into Britney Spears.

“… I didn’t feel comfortable. I’m a Christian, and for me, it’s not necessary to bare my midriff and wear all these things that make people think the wrong thing,” Hoku said. “I don’t want to be seen as a sex symbol. … They keep trying to get me to do it … .”

Her firm stance and what might be termed a lack of ambition is really a lack of selfishness coupled with a desire to help others, which rewards her with more than dollars. “I have the potential to be a really big role model to a lot of girls. … If you’re presenting yourself in a way that would compromise your values … then you have no integrity left,” she said. “There’s really no young girl role models that allow [kids to act their own age] and not be ashamed.”

Besides projecting a contrasting image from the rest of the bubble-gum pack, Hoku said her music is also different. “Britney is straight-ahead pop. Christina Aguilera is R&B-influenced urban pop. Mandy Moore’s got this sweet, soft little thing going on. My stuff is really kind of quirky. … Some of the songs are about silly things.”

Her lyrics may border on silly, but Hoku is serious about keeping her image intact. She stopped to consider what her next goal might be recording a Christian-music album, she said. However, she didn’t hesitate before saying, “If they ever try and push me over the edge with my image, then I don’t care about letting my career go. My faith, friends and family are more important to me than this career.” And she’s not just blowing bubbles.