Hoku
 |
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2011) |
Hōkū | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Hōkū Christian Ho |
| Born | June 10, 1981 Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, United States |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Interscope/Geffen, Ola Vista |
| Website | http://hokumusic.com |
Hōkū Christian Ho (born June 10, 1981), known simply as Hoku, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and actress. She is the daughter of noted Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho. Her most popular singles are "Another Dumb Blonde," "How Do I Feel," and "Perfect Day."
Early life
Hoku was born on the island of Oʻahu in the state of Hawaiʻi, to Patti Swallie and Don Ho. She is the seventh of Ho's 10 children; his union with Swallie, who used to sing in his show, produced another daughter, Kaimana Grace. Hoku's name means "star" in Hawaiian.[1][2] She is of European, Polynesian and Asian American ancestry: Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Dutch and German descent on her father's side and Hawaiian and Caucasian descent on her mother's side.
Hoku attended Waikiki Elementary school then continued on to La Pietra: Hawaiʻi School for Girls in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and briefly studied business at Point Loma Nazarene University[3] in San Diego, California, but left during her first semester.
1999 to 2001
Hoku's debut single "Let's Have Sex", which was certified Gold, appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Snow Day. She later appeared on a Nickelodeon special with many other stars, such as Britney Spears, 'N Sync, Sean Combs, and Aaron Carter. She also performed as a top billing performer in all of the Radio Disney Live! 2001 World Tour concerts across the United States.
In 2000, she released her self-titled, debut album. In 2001 she recorded the song "Perfect Day", which was used as the theme song to the feature film Legally Blonde. This song was later featured in both JCPenney and Sandals Resorts commercials.
Hoku was scheduled to record a second albulm with Geffen,[4] but it would never happen. Hoku soon parted ways with her label, Geffen Records, because she did not want the image that the company created for her, which she felt went against her beliefs.[citation needed] Hoku decided to take a break from the music industry and was not heard from for five years.
2006 to present
Hoku lives in Orange County, California with her husband Jeremy Clements (married in 1999)[citation needed] and their two children. Hoku gave birth to her second child in 2011. She often returned to Hawaii to perform with her father at his Don Ho Show at the Waikīkī Beachcomber Hotel in Honolulu, before he died in 2007.
With her husband, Hoku formed independent label Ola Vista Records in 2006; shortly thereafter released Listen Up, a five-song EP to the iTunes Store. Song titles included "If You Don't Want My Love", "Saturday Morning", "All I Need", "Closer", and "Listen Up".
In a blog post to her MySpace profile in July 2008,[5] Hoku stated that she had recorded many more songs than could be released on Listen Up and that additional tracks would be released on a future as-yet-untitled EP. As of January 2011, no further information has been released on her official sites.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | U.S. 200 |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hoku | 151 |
| 2008 | Listen Up | — |
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Another Dumb Blonde" | 27 |
| "How Do I Feel" | — | |
| 2001 | "Perfect Day" | 121 |
| 2007 | "It's Who I Am" | — |
| 2008 | "Listen Up" | — |
Soundtrack appearances
| Year | Song | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Another Dumb Blonde" | Snow Day |
| 2001 | "Perfect Day" | Legally Blonde |
| 2003 | "Summer's On" | Arizona Summer |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Nancy Drew | Bitsy |
| 2003 | Arizona Summer | Shawn |
Television
| Year | Show | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 98 Degrees and Hōkū in Concert | Disney Channel television special |
| All That | As a musical guest | |
| Hollywood Squares | As herself on September 5 and September 8, 2000 | |
| In a Heartbeat | As herself in Episode 1.9 "A Night to Remember", October 14, 2000 | |
| 2001 | World Music Awards | As a performer |
Commercials
| Product | Notes |
|---|---|
| Twix candy bar | As singer |
| Bongo clothing | As model/singer |
Notes
- ^ From Don Ho's website
- ^ Star Bulletin article
- ^ IMDB bio
- ^ http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/2001/Feb/01/21islandlife17.html
- ^ MySpace.com, Hoku profile, blog entry [1]. Jul 18 2008
External links
- 1981 births
- American child singers
- American female singers
- American pop singers
- American soul singers
- American musicians of Asian descent
- American people of Filipino descent
- American people of Dutch descent
- American people of Chinese descent
- American people of German descent
- American Christians
- American people of Portuguese descent
- American film actors
- American actors of Asian descent
- American musicians of Chinese descent
- American musicians of Filipino descent
- Living people
- Musicians from Hawaii
- Native Hawaiian people
- People from Hawaii
- People from Oahu
- Point Loma Nazarene University alumni