TAIMANE
globalFEST 2020
EPK
"Taimane rocks the stage with a sensual vibrancy and a white hot talent that captivates and beguiles!” -Pierce Brosnan (aka 007)
INTRO:
Virtuoso, songwriter and theater producer, Taimane, is best known for her fierce and inventive style of playing the ukulele. She is a born entertainer and self-taught musician who learned and still plays by ear. Her attraction to the four-string island staple began at age 3, and by age 10, she regularly performed in public, busking in Waikiki every Friday night with her father holding down security duties and Waikiki Beach Boys (adults whose home & workplace were the beach) serving as her band. By age 13, Taimane landed a position in Don Ho’s show literally playing in the spotlight every week until Ho’s passing. Fast forward to today, and you have an artist who tours the world and has carved out a unique niche in music – merging a wide-array of genres, from Bach to rock, flamenco infernos to tribal hymns, summoning a seemingly limitless palette of emotions via an instrument previously viewed as a restricted device.
“I didn’t see anyone at the [2019 SXSW] festival doing anything close to what she [Taimane] does on stage. She shreds on ukulele and rocks everything from Beethoven to Led Zeppelin. Somehow she manages to not only rock out but connect the audience with meaningful Hawaiian traditions and dances.” - Austin360 (part of the Austin American-Statesman, Austin’s daily newspaper)
TYPES OF PERFORMANCES:
Performing Arts Concerts
Genres: World Music - Traditional Roots / Classical / Flamenco / Contemporary
Instrumentation: duo [ukulele/vocals, guitar], trio [ukulele/vocals, guitar, hand-percussion], quartet [ukulele/vocals, guitar, hand-percussion and violin or cello] or quintet [ukulele/vocals, guitar, hand-percussion, violin, cello]
Dance: Taimane often adds dance accompaniment to her shows - Polynesian, contemporary and/or aerial dance.
Musical Theater:
Storytelling: Taimane has produced and presented several musical theater shows that tell a story through music, spoken word, dance and costume.
Current Show: Taimane is currently presenting her musical theater show, ‘Elemental - A Musical & Theatrical Odyssey’ (click to view: show summary - show review - show photos)
Taimane Management:
Mark J. Tarone, Esq.
I‘iwi Management, LLC
1159 Nu‘uanu Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96817
mark at rootsmusichawaii.com
(808) 271-9140
TAIMANE
2019 SUCCESS
&
2020 OPPORTUNITY
APAP 2019:
Taimane and her manager, Mark Tarone, attended APAP 2019 and experienced success despite not having support from a booking agency nor a publicist and it being the first APAP for both Taimane and Tarone.Following APAP, Tarone booked performing arts shows in west coast theaters ranging in size from 1,400- to 400-seats with guarantees totaling over $25,000 for 5 shows. Additional offers have been received as well.
Taimane also received the following feedback from talent buyers:
“Absolutely fantastic show!” - Jerry VanLeeuwen, Executive Director, California Center for the Arts Escondido
“It was an incredible performance!” - Todd Stein, President & CEO, Mid-America Arts Alliance
“What an amazing artist!” - Kristine Bretall, Director of Performing Arts, Sun Valley Center
APAP 2020:
As highlighted above, 2019 was a highly successful APAP for Taimane. At APAP 2020, Taimane will have a much bigger story to tell that in 2019. She’s poised to have even more impact and achieve even better outcomes in 2020. After APAP 2019, Taimane delivered significant wins at SXSW and in the performing arts world that will get the attention of talent buyers and media at APAP 2020 (see details below). In addition, Taimane has several major initiatives remaining in 2019 that will further strengthen her APAP 2020 story: i) Taimane festival performances this summer including a prime time 8:00pm Saturday set at California WorldFest, ii) an October west coast tour supported by publicist, Two Sheps That Pass, that will see Taimane have major impact and see Taimane post major box office #’s in major markets: a) Los Angeles (1,050-seat Musco Center for the Arts and 500-seat Smothers Theatre), b) San Diego (1,400-seat California Center for the Arts), c) the Bay Area (400-seat Schultz Cultural Arts Hall), iii) Taimane to have a central role in a Playing for Change summer music video detailed below and iv) Taimane to sign with a booking agency this summer (in final discussions with three strong agencies currently with Taimane to decide which is best for her at the end of this summer).SXSW 2019:
Taimane received rave reviews from media and concert-goers alike following her 2019 SXSW performances including from Bob Boilen who invited Taimane to perform a Tiny Desk concert (still working to finalize a date for this). See details below.Tour Ready - Major Draw:
In the last two months, Taimane has posted big box office results including the following:5/17 Admiral Theatre, Bremerton WA - 663 tickets sold and $17,775 gross box office (Taimane’s first time headlining this area)
5/16 Washington Center for the Arts, Olympia WA - 606 tickets sold and $18,062 gross box office (Taimane’s first ever headline show in Washington state)
5/01 Blue Note Hawaii - 213 tickets sold and $6,212 gross box office (Taimane’s debut headline show at Blue Note Hawaii)
4/13 Kahilu Theatre, Big Island HI - SOLD OUT 424 tickets sold and $18,978 gross box office
3/30 Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Maui HI - SOLD OUT 276 tickets sold and $7,386 gross box office (Taimane’s debut headline show on Maui)
3/07 Honolulu Design Center, Honolulu, HI - 174 tickets sold and $8,062 gross box office
Momentum - Rapidly Rising Star:
Taimane’s career is taking off with great new opportunities coming in and outcomes happening every week. Everywhere Taimane has gone in 2019, she has received a glowing response (APAP 2019 > SXSW 2019 > Maui > Hawaii Island > Seattle) with more breakthrough wins coming during the remainder of this year.In 2019, Taimane’s Instagram follower count has grown by over 30,000 (up to 45,000 today) and her YouTube follower count has grown by over 40,000 (currently adding thousands of new followers EVERY DAY)
In June, Playing For Change is releasing a new song-around-the-world, “Love,” featuring Taimane. The song was written by Imagine Dragons, and the video release is being promoted heavily by Playing for Change, Samsung and Imagine Dragons.
ONE-MINUTE WONDERS
(video clips)
'Jupiter’
‘Hades’
‘Toccata’
‘The Moon’
“Every so often we discover an artist as he or she is about to emerge into a much bigger arena. These experiences have included Chris Botti, Trombone Shorty, Kamasi Washington and Lake Street Dive. Now, we have a new discovery - Taimane. She's destined for a big, bright future, and I encourage you to catch her show as soon as you can.” -Bruce Labadie, Artistic and Festival Director of San Jose Jazz
LIVE
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Thursday, May 23, 2019: The Jazz Dock, Prague, Czech Republic
Saturday, May 25, 2019: Austria Ukulele Festival, Graz, Austria
Thurs, May 30, 2019: Le Bal Blomet, Paris, France
Sunday, June 2, 2019: l’Espace Georges Le Meur, Brittany, France
Tuesday, June 4, 2019: The Peninsula Hotel, Guernsey, Channel Islands
Thursday, June 6, 2019: Bush Hall, London, UK
Wednesday, June 19, 2019: The Don & Ann Brown Theatre, Palm Beach, FL
Saturday, July 6, 2019: Esalen Midsummer Festival, Big Sur, CA (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, July 13, 2019: California WorldFest, Grass Valley, CA
Thursday, October 17, 2019: Smothers Theatre, Malibu, CA
Saturday, October 19, 2019: California Center for the Arts, Escondido CA
Sunday, October 20, 2019: Musco Center for the Arts, Orange CA
Tuesday, October 22, 2019: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Santa Barbara CA
Saturday, October 26, 2019: Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, Palo Alto CA
PAST 2019 PERFORMANCES
May 16, 2019: Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Olympia WA
May 17, 2019: Admiral Theatre, Bremerton WA
May 1, 2019: Blue Note Hawaii, Waikiki HI
April 13, 2019: Kahilu Theatre, Kamuela HI (SOLD OUT)
March 30, 2019: Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Kahului HI (SOLD OUT)
March 7, 2019: Honolulu Design Center, Honolulu HI
February 9, 2019: Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv Israel
February 8, 2019: Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv Israel
February 7, 2019: Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv Israel
February 5, 2019: Zappa Club, Herzliya Israel
February 4, 2019: Hichal Hatarbut, Kfar Saba Israel
February 2, 2019: Beit Aba Hushi, Haifa Israel
January 5, 2019: Joe's Pub, New York NY (SOLD OUT)
“Absolutely fantastic show!”
-Jerry VanLeeuwen, Executive Director, California Center for the Arts Escondido
“It was an incredible performance!”
-Todd Stein, President & CEO, Mid-America Arts Alliance
“What an amazing artist!”
-Kristine Bretall, Director of Performing Arts, Sun Valley Center
TAIMANE
ACCOLADES
“A phenomenally talented ukulele virtuoso, Taimane has developed a flamenco-inspired strumming technique that is breathtaking. In concert, her hands often blur in motion as she passionately strums while dancing around the stage. It’s an intoxicating experience both visually and aurally that has blown away audiences both nationally and abroad.” -Jon Woodhouse, The Maui News
Over 10 million video views
Over 115,000 social media followers
Cover stories in Hana Hou, Summit, Waikiki and Ukulele magazines
National Draw - Headline Shows: Across America in 2017 & 2018, Taimane has consistently drawn strong numbers in both new and established markets selling out over 40% of her headline shows including the following venues - Jade Leaf Club (San Jose, CA), Don Quixote's (Santa Cruz, CA), Sunshine-Brooks Theater (Oceanside, CA), Millenium Stage at The Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Joe's Pub (New York, NY - January 2019 & October 2017), Swallow Hill Music (Denver, CO)(co-bill), Cafe Stritch (San Jose, CA), Covo (La Jolla, CA) and Pyramid House (Kona, HI). Taimane also drew a full-house to her debut at the Belly Up in San Diego in May 2018.
International Touring: Taimane's ukulele has taken her around the world including performances at TEDx (Maui, Costa Rica, Purdue), the Pan American Games (Canada), Samoa, France, Turkey, Reunion Island, China, Hong Kong and more.
Film:
Taimane’s song, “Water,” served as the music bed for a 2019 TV commercial that premiered during the Super Bowl across Hawaii. The spot was created by HEMIC workers comp insurance company and celebrates individual workers and business owners and their contributions to Hawaii communities and industry. Click here to view the commercial.
Taimane was recently contracted to write three songs for the movie, "Haole," an independent feature film currently being produced by award-winning filmmaker and Disney Studios / Columbia Pictures alumn, James Sereno, of Kinetic Productions.
Taimane's songs, "The Sun," "Mother Earth" and "Father Sky," are featured in Keely Shaye Brosnan's (wife of Pierce Brosnan) film, "Poisoning Paradise," telling the story of the struggle to drive adoption of sustainable agriculture in Hawaii. This summer, the film screened at Cannes International Film Festival and is expected to be picked up for U.S. and/or international distribution.
Taimane wrote and recorded the score for the short film, "Let The Mountain Speak," paying tribute to Mauna Kea.
On May 3, 2019, Taimane released her music video, “Earth,” to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the 2018 lava flows on Hawaii Island and celebrate the inspiration the island & its people continue to foster.
“I’m honored to have documented these lands before their metamorphosis and grateful to the island and its people for having shared and continuing to share so much with me.” -Taimane
THE STORY
“Earth” was filmed in the region affected by the 2018 eruptions shortly before the flows began. The experience of shooting the video in Puna’s stunningly beautiful landscapes and seeing many of the sites and surrounding communities paved over by Pele strongly affected Taimane. Her connection to this natural phenomenon and those impacted deepened in June 2018, when she performed a free, impromptu concert at “The Hub,” the tent camp that served as the makeshift home for many who were forced to flee their residences.
Taimane wrote “Earth” for her show, “Elemental - A Musical & Theatrical Odyssey,” which she debuted at Oahu’s Hawaii Theatre in March 2016. The song appears on Taimane’s 2018 album titled, “Elemental.” On April 13, 2019, Taimane returned to the Big Island and presented the show at Kahilu Theatre to a sold-out audience. “Visiting the Big Island for the first time since the eruptions was uplifting,” Taimane said. “I feel a stronger connection to nature there than anywhere else in Hawaii, and the aloha shared by the island’s people never fails to get my attention and put a smile on my face. Whether you’ve been there many times or have yet to visit, the Big Island will leave an indelible mark. I cherish my time there and can’t wait to go back!”
CREDITS:
Song written & recorded by Taimane (ASCAP)
Video filmed and edited by Talltree of Light - http://www.talltreeoflight.com/
Hula by Asialynn G.K Yap - https://www.instagram.com/iamasiadoll/
Appearances by Indigo Elixirs and Mulan Rouge
Little girl singer: Raynbow Souza
Additional filming by Fixed Flight Films
Taimane and Tavana joined forces to celebrate Lei Day at Blue Note Hawaii on Wednesday, May 1. Taimane and her band performed at 6:30pm with special guest Tavana. At 9:00pm, Tavana took over the stage with his full-scale production featuring his wide-array of stringed instruments (Hawaiian lap steel, acoustic guitar, ukulele and banjo) along with his arsenal of foot pedals (electronic drums). During Tavana’s concert, Taimane joined as special guest.
Keale of Ocean Dreamer Hawaii was onsite showcasing Ocean Dreamer's celebrated floral artistry with beautiful lei of all shapes, colors and styles available for purchase. With nearly 100,000 devout social media followers and worldwide demand as both an experiential artist and speaker, Ocean Dreamer's founder and lead creative, Pamakane (mother of Keale), has elevated strung flowers and the process of lei making to symbols of inner beauty and wellness while calling out the healing powers of nature. Pamakane is also the artist who created the lei po'o featured on Taimane's most recent album, 'Elemental.'
“Waikiki is a special place for me, the birthplace of my career - busking on the street starting at age 10 and by age 13, performing with Don Ho every week,” shares Taimane. “I loved returning to my Hawaii musical ‘home’ for Lei Day - especially great to have my Samoan aunties there as well as so many long-time fans and jamming songs with Tavana is always amazing!”
Taimane performing live at Kahilu Theatre, Sat. 4/13
📷: Big Island Music Magazine
On Saturday, April 13, Taimane made her debut at Kahilu Theatre on the Big Island, presenting 'Elemental - A Musical & Theatrical Odyssey' to a sold out house.
It was a fantastic evening as highlighted by this post-show review from Big Island Music Magazine: "Ukulele Goddess Taimane Offers a Stunning Theatrical Performance [of] 'Elemental'"
More about this show later this week when Taimane releases her "Earth" video. Wonderful to be back on the Big Island. Mahalo to everyone who attended and assisted!
On Saturday, March 30, Taimane made her Maui headline debut playing to a full house. It was a wonderful night as highlighted by this post-show review from The Maui News!
"The queen of the ukulele, Taimane, delivered a stunning, sold-out show at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului on Saturday. A mesmerizing artist who commands the stage with a sensually soulful presence, she invoked the gods in passionate tributes to the planets and elements, managed to fuse Beethoven’s 5th Symphony with Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” and played an electrifying version of Bizet’s “Carmen,” which segued into “The Phantom of the Opera” theme song." -The Maui News
Click here and scroll down for the complete review.
“I didn’t see anyone at the festival doing anything close to what she does on stage. She shreds on ukulele and rocks everything from Beethoven to Led Zeppelin. Somehow she manages to not only rock out but connect the audience with meaningful Hawaiian traditions and dances.” - Austin360 (part of the Austin American-Statesman, Austin’s daily newspaper)
In March 2019, Taimane made her SXSW debut performing in Austin, Texas for the first ever time. With masses of concertgoers, thousands of music media and industry players and over 2,000 artists, SXSW is one of the world's largest and most influential music events and also a place where many independent artists find it a challenge to stand out. The frenzied mass didn’t faze Taimane but instead served as a testament to the undeniable draw of her unique and compelling performances. The ukulele pioneer grabbed attention and praise from a host of national and local media, as well as roaring crowds. The overwhelming response: 'Wow - you will be world famous SOON!’
TAIMANE
NEWS
Israel & Egypt 2019
Taimane Tours & Visits the Middle East
In February 2019, Taimane and her band performed six shows across Israel presented by venerable Israeli producer, Hot Jazz. The president of Hot Jazz, Ziv Ben, hailed the tour as a success with Taimane wowing large audiences across the country while building a fanbase anxious for her return. Following her Israel tour, Taimane traveled to Egypt where she celebrated her birthday and filmed the above video of her original composition, Venus. For this leg of the venture, Taimane did not bring her Kamaka ukulele. Upon feeling the power of the ancient pyramids and historical surroundings, Taimane sought out and purchased an ukulele in Cairo so that she could play her music in this empowering environment and share her experience with the world. With performances around the globe and hundreds of thousands of worldwide video views every month, Taimane is quickly become a cultural beacon sharing the sounds and spirit of Hawaii with people well beyond her island horizon. ✨🌎
TAIMANE
NEWS
APAP 2019
Association of Performing Arts Professionals Conference
New York, NY
In January 2019, Taimane and her band performed three shows during the annual APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals) conference in New York City including a headline show at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan that sold out in advance. Taimane performed as a quartet at the club (ukulele / vocals (Taimane) + acoustic guitar (Ramiro Marziani) + hand percussion (Jonathan Heraux) + violin / vocals (Melissa Folzenlogen)) and also featured Polynesian dancer, Enormvs. Taimane was a hit with both concertgoers and performing arts presenters receiving industry praise and at Joe’s Pub, a standing ovation followed by a post-show meet & greet with an endless line of fans (a 30+ minute queue). Following the conference, Taimane received inquiries from over 10 performing arts centers seeking to feature Taimane during their next seasons.
“Absolutely fantastic show!”
-Jerry VanLeeuwen, Executive Director, California Center for the Arts Escondido
“It was an incredible performance!”
-Todd Stein, President & CEO, Mid-America Arts Alliance
“What an amazing artist!”
-Kristine Bretall, Director of Performing Arts, Sun Valley Center
TAIMANE
NEWS
GANNENMONO
CONCERT
In honor of the 150th Anniversary of Japanese Immigration to Hawai`i, world-renowned choreographer and dancer, Un Yamada (head of Co.YAMADA UN) collaborated with Taimane presenting an original dance piece accompanied by a live musical performance at Doris Duke Theater in Honolulu, HI on November 17, 2018. Yamada (a Japanese national and resident) and Taimane (born, raised & resident of Hawaii) had never before met but instantly bonded. The intimate show clearly sparked creative passion in both artists who plan to present additional dance / musical programs outside of Hawaii in 2019.
TAIMANE
NEWS
‘ELEMENTAL’
ALBUM RELEASE
On June 5, 2018, Taimane, released her new album, ‘Elemental.’ More than two years in the making, ‘Elemental’ illuminates Taimane’s maturation into a complete artist - songwriter, virtuoso, singer and producer. On the recording which features a song for each element (‘Water,’ ‘Fire,’ ‘Air,’ ‘Earth’ and ‘Ether’), Taimane continues her exploration of natural and metaphysical worlds and successfully weaves several distinct threads (classical, latin and ethereal) into a cohesive cloth, one that looks and feels like its unique creator - contemplative, as well as playful and fun. Taimane wrote all songs on the album and produced the recording.
PHOTOS:
‘Elemental’ CD Release Concert - June 6, 2018 - Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach
TAIMANE
NEWS
PLAYING FOR CHANGE
COLLABORATION
"The Moon"
Music video produced and published by Playing for Change.
Song written by Taimane.
On March 16, 2018, the Playing For Change organization (dedicated to bringing hope & inspiration through music with over 1.5 million followers worldwide) released a Taimane video - a live performance of her song, 'Pluto - King of the Underworld (Hades).' The video was recorded in Ka'a'awa Valley (site of many past movies including King Kong, Jurassic World and Jumanji) on Taimane's home island of Oahu and received over 100,000 views on YouTube and Facebook in its first week of release. Pluto is featured on Taimane's new album, 'Elemental.' Click the above links to view the video.
On June 15, 2018, Playing for Change released a second Taimane video - a live performance of Taimane's song, 'The Moon.' This video has received over 350,000 views on YouTube.
The Playing For Change Foundation (PFC) will be releasing additional Taimane videos including Taimane adding an ukulele part alongside the frontman of one of the most celebrated American rock n' roll bands of all time. This PFC video will be one of their biggest releases of the year.
TAIMANE
NEWS
STAPLES CENTER
DEBUT
3-10-2018 - The Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Taimane made her debut at the famed Staples Center in Los Angeles dazzling a crowd of over 20,000 on Saturday, March 10, 2018 during halftime of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball game. The performance was part of 'Hawaii Night' at the Staples Center and included an interview with Fox Sports. The TV crew interviewed Taimane regarding the unique nature of Taimane's music and the inspiration upon which she draws. They instantly fell in love with Taimane as evidenced by their returning later and recording a second Taimane piece (a Fox Sports program ID). Taimane's Video Blog: Staples Center Debut
TAIMANE
NEWS
TOUR WITH
MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD
July 13-16, 2017 - Taimane with Michael Franti & Spearhead
In May 2017, Taimane joined Michael Franti on stage at his concert in Honolulu, and a few weeks later, Franti invited Taimane to join his band for his biggest shows of the year. Taimane accepted the offer and over a four-night run in July, performed alongside ‘Michael Franti & Spearhead’ in front of over 35,000 people: i) 7/13 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison CO (10,000+ attendees), ii) 7/14 - Targhee Fest, Jackson Hole WY (5,000+ attendees), iii) 7/15 - Gorge Amphitheatre, George WA (15,000+ attendees) and iv) 7/16 - WorldFest, Grass Valley CA (5,000+ attendees). Thanks in part to these concerts, Taimane sold out a series of shows on her first ever North American headline tour the following month.
TAIMANE
NEWS
EXPERIENTIAL THEATER:
‘ELEMENTAL
A MUSICAL &
THEATRICAL ODYSSEY’
Taimane performing during the debut of her show, ‘Elemental - A Musical & Theatrical Odyssey,’ on March 25, 2016 at Hawaii Theatre.
In March 2016, Taimane presented ‘Elemental - A Musical & Theatrical Odyssey’ at historic Hawaii Theatre drawing over 1,000 attendees and receiving rave reviews from the public and critics alike. The show brings to life Taimane’s vision of the elements (earth, water, air, fire, ether) and related spheres through music, dance, narration and costume. On June 5, 2018, Taimane released an album of the same name, 'Elemental,' featuring seven songs she wrote for the theater performance. Taimane next presents the show on April 13, 2019 at Kahilu Theatre on the island of Hawaii (Big Island) and plans to tour the show internationally in the future. The show is 100% Taimane with her assuming the following roles: artistic producer (created the music and dance program and managed casting, costuming, set design / lighting, etc.), songwriter (wrote 7 new songs for the performance), bandleader and star musician.
PHOTOS:
‘Elemental - A Musical & Theatrical Odyssey’ - March 25, 2016 - Hawaii Theatre
Photos by Joe Marquez - ‘The Smoking Camera’
MARKETING ASSETS:
SAMPLE OF CURRENT & PAST MARKETING MATERIALS
CURRENT TOUR POSTER:
‘Elemental’ Tour
(concert tour supporting new album)
Poster: Photography by Adam Jung. Creative / art direction by Erik Ries.
PRIOR TOUR POSTER:
Spring Eternal Tour - May 2018
PRIOR TOUR POSTER:
Eastern Skies Tour - October 2017
PRIOR TOUR POSTER:
Western Winds Tour - Summer 2017
