Josue Rivas

Today we share the official video for Nahko’s new single “Hamakua” from his latest album, My Name Is Bear. Starting on April 18, Nahko will embark on a European tour with Trevor Hall before he kicks off series of North American dates with his collective Medicine for the People.

As for the video, Nahko explains, “I worked with filmmaker Dom Walczuk. He is the same director who made a number of our first music videos and documentaries on the Big Island, which now have millions of views, and we schemed to tell a reminiscent story of a bear, an island, and a community that grew a young cub and his music. We collected shots that Dom had in the vault from years back and patch worked them with VHS footage I had taken as a teenager of my first open mics and piano recitals. Then we laid foundation shots of who I am now on island, on horseback, in the ocean, to create a juxtaposition of ‘then and now’. The result is a collage of time well spent and I’m proud to present this visual storyboard that nods to the magic found on the ‘piko’ of the Pacific and within the sounds of my personal journey as a young man.”

For more on Nahko you can check out our feature on his fascinating life and music.