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The country-reggae group Maoli is rocking the boat<\/em> again with its Maoli Music Overload 2 campaign. To kick it off, the group dropped its first single Oct. 13, and will follow that up with the release of a new track every three weeks through next June.<\/p>\n The band conducted a similar push last year when it released new singles every two weeks for about six months before fans finally had it all \u2014 an album that music lovers just couldn\u2019t stop singing along to.<\/p>\n During a soundcheck, Glenn Awong belts out a tune prior to Maoli\u2019s performance this summer at Tom Mo\ufb00att Waik\u012bk\u012b Shell. ANTHONY CONSILLIO PHOTO<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThat country-reggae vibe is really who I am,\u201d confesses lead singer and group founder Glenn Awong. \u201cThe fans have been loving it, so I just keep giving it to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking back, it\u2019s been a whirlwind year for Maoli. After being on the road for its sold-out tour, the band returned home last summer for jam-packed shows around the state. More than 25,000 people attended the outfit\u2019s performances at Tom Moffatt Waik\u012bk\u012b Shell, with the first show selling out in just 8 minutes; tickets for the second and third shows also went at record speed. Meanwhile, performances on Kaua\u2018i, Maui and Hawai\u2018i island drew more than 17,000 concertgoers.<\/p>\n Awong and the rest of Maoli released their latest single, Broken Up<\/em>, earlier this week. \u201cWe like to try and push the limits for ourselves,\u201d shares Awong, noting the Hawai\u2018i concerts have become a highlight of his career. \u201cWe\u2019ve been working together (with PauleleAlcon, founder of concert promoter Hawai\u2018i\u2019s Finest) for over 13 years, from those times when we used to play the Pagoda lobby and we couldn\u2019t even sell 20 tickets back then. We\u2019ve just been chasing that dream ever since then and I\u2019m so grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n Since its debut in 2007, Maoli has continued to put music into the universe<\/em>, including more than 21 No. 1 Regional Island Reggae songs. In 2020, it won a prestigious N\u0101 H\u014dk\u016b Hanohano Award for ReggaeAlbum of the Year, and iHeart Island Music Awards for Album of the Year (Sense of Purpose<\/em>) and Group of the Year. The following year, the band returned to the iHeart Island Music Awards stage and earned top honors for Album of the Year (The Breakthrough<\/em>) and Song of the Year (My Reason<\/em>).<\/p>\n Glenn Awong is looking forward to the band\u2019s upcoming concerts in New Zealand and Australia. ANTHONY CONSILLIO PHOTOS<\/p><\/div>\n Born in Hilo and raised in Ha\u2018ik\u016b on Maui, Awong says his love of music developed from listening to the radio and taking music classes at King Kekaulike High School.<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of knew at a young age (intermediate school time) that I wanted to do this, and as I got to high school, I loved it even more,\u201d he recalls. \u201cAs I started growing and releasing songs and albums and music, I wanted to create a name that represented who I was. Maoli means native in Hawaiian, and I wanted to represent my culture and who I am no matter where I went in the world and I continue to do that to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n After the group\u2019s recent homecoming concerts, Awong says he took a short break before heading back into the studio, where he spent the past couple of months working on the group\u2019s new MMO2 album that features 12 tracks. The band released a sneak peek trailer of the first single, Broken Up<\/em>, earlier in the week.<\/p>\n \u201cThis past year has just been a lot of studio time, a lot of traveling, a lot of touring, I really need to take a break and spend time with my kids and do stuff I like to do,\u201d says the father of four, during his visit to Honolulu in July. \u201cI like to golf, fish, and just go back to the country, work the ranch with my uncle guys and stuff like that, go back to those days.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not on O\u2018ahu too often now, but I try to come back every year to perform. (When I\u2019m here), I love Goma Tei Ramen, and I like to go out to the West side. My kids love the waterpark, but other than that we\u2019re usually around Waik\u012bk\u012b just chilling.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the past couple of months have also been difficult for band members with the Maui wildfires hitting close to home, and directly impacting some of their family and friends. The day after the fires, band members were seen loading up trucks with food, water and supplies and delivering vital items to those in need.<\/p>\n \u201cHealing is going to be needed for a long time,\u201d says artist manager Reggie Villa, \u201cand we\u2019ll continue to be on the ground helping as needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead, the band has scheduled performances at the One Love Music andArt Festival in Tauranga, New Zealand, in January, and at the Jammin Australian Reggae Festival at Main Beach, Australia, the following month. It also has other exciting projects in the works that members hope to announce in the coming month.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is definitely what I love doing; I love playing music,\u201d reflects Awong. \u201cAs far as the dream goes, there\u2019s a lot of ups and downs to this industry \u2014 the good parts of it is the dream and the bad parts are the journey.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of tribulations you gotta go through, a lot of sacrifices, a lot of time away from your family. There\u2019s a lot of sacrifice involved in this movement, this journey through life. If there\u2019s anything I could say to young artists who are trying to do this is just learn to love the journey. The painful parts are just a part of it. It\u2019s an obstacle that if you learn to get over it, you\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Awong admits that dealing with fame has also been difficult for him as he\u2019s more of a private person. But he keeps finding his reasons<\/em> to keep vibing and to ensure that the lyrics continue flowing. He says many of his songs (he writes about 75%-80% of them) are from his personal experiences, and names Quincy Jones and David Foster among his biggest artistic influences. He also lists George Strait and Zac Brown as his favorite country artists.<\/p>\n \u201cI love seeing the people\u2019s reaction to the music,\u201d says Awong. \u201cI love how it inspires them. I love how I can bring so many people together not only just to have a good time but in love. That\u2019s really what I\u2019m here to do. Let the music bring people together in unity and love.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The country-reggae group Maoli is rocking the boat again with its Maoli Music Overload 2 campaign. To kick it off,..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":2172,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-story"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mw-cover-maoli-ac-23.jpg\")
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