PODCAST: From musician to philanthropist, Henry Kapono shares aloha around the world
By HNN Staff
Published: Jul. 6, 2022 at 1:54 PM MST
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Like everyone else in the music industry, when the pandemic first hit, Henry Kapono had to pivot.
The Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner, who had played live music at Duke’s Waikiki on Sundays for decades, decided to take the shows to his house and do livestream performances from there.
But on top of livestreams, he also grew the Henry Kapono Foundation, a way to raise money in support of Hawaii’s music industry.
“I lost all my gigs, so that means everybody else lost their gigs,” Kapono said. “So we put the program together, Henry ‘We Are Friends’ program, and it just really gave the artists a chance to put their feet on the ground and figure out what’s next. How do we reset? Where do we go next? But it gave them some food on the table.”
Kapono said the program, in partnership with the Kawakami Family, raised about $200,000 and was able to provide hundreds of Foodland gift cards to music families.
Two years later, the foundation continues to raise money for scholarships and other financial opportunities.
Kapono is not only an icon in Hawaii, but he has fans around the world. He’s traveled all over the globe to share his music.
“It feels really good, you know, everywhere I go, they’re singing with me. And, you know, that’s kind of like a bonus for me because they know the songs sometimes better than I do,” Kapono said. “If I watch them, watch them seeing, you know, I lose my spot and they’ll keep going.”
In the latest episode of Island Beat, Billy sits down with Kapono — who’s also a Lifetime Achievement recipient, philanthropist and former University of Hawaii linebacker — to catch up and learn more about his foundation, what he’s been doing during the pandemic and what he thinks of the state of the music industry today.
Copyright 2022 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.