Kris Fuchigami’s musical journey began at age 13 with an old, beat-up ‘ukulele and a dream to become a master of the instrument.
Now 34, he’s living the dream, with three coveted Na Hoku Hanohano awards for Instrumental Composition of the Year a testament to his prowess, not just as a player, but also as a songwriter. His statuettes are for his original songs “Life Is” in 2019, “Brave” in 2021, and “Always Be There” in 2023.
Fuchigami’s most recent win actually is a testament as to how popular the ‘ukulele remains in its homeland, Hawaii — as “Always Be There” tied with “Pipeline’s Daughter,” which was written and performed by fellow ‘ukulele wiz, Taimane Gardner.
Asked about the instrument’s popularity, Fuchigami said, “I think it’s because it’s simple.”
“It is simple, user-friendly, and you don’t have to stress out playing it,” he said. “You can hold a chord with just one or two fingers, and it just sounds extremely beautiful.”
Fuchigami will headline a concert at 7 p.m. Friday at the Palace Theater in downtown Hilo.
The Waiakea Intermediate School ‘Ukulele Band will open, and there also will be performances by special guests Lito Arkangel and Pomai Bartolome. Bartolome also is the emcee.
Advance tickets are $25 general, $35 reserved, available at hilopalace.com. Tickets will be $5 more the day of the show.
It will be Fuchigami’s third time headlining a concert at Hilo’s historic art deco theater. As usual, he’ll be accompanied by his mom, Keiko, on keyboards. According to Fuchigami, his mom is more than just an accompanist.
“She was the first to teach me piano,” he explained. “And I didn’t like the piano at all, but she kind of forced me to just sit in front of the piano and learn the basics of music. I’m glad that she did, because a lot of what I do is based on those early piano lessons that she used to give me.”
Although he does play covers, such as Carlos Santana’s “Europa,” Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and Great American Songbook fare like “Fly Me to the Moon” — Fuchigami shines as a composer.
His song, “Always Be There,” is about his commitment to his older son, KJ — he and wife, Whitney, have two young sons with another child on the way — while “Brave” is about his cousin, Kirk Takeshi Fuchigami Jr., an Army helicopter pilot who died in a 2019 crash in Afghanistan.
“For me, I have the topic before I start writing it,” Fuchigami said. “So, I’m writing and putting down chords based on how I feel about that topic. So, the title is pretty much set before the song is written. It’s just a matter of trying to capture in song what the topic should sound like.”
It could be inferred his song “30 for 30” was inspired by ESPN’s series of sports documentaries by that name. As it turns out, however, Fuchigami wasn’t aware of the series.
“‘30 for 30,’ is based off events that happened when I was 17 and in high school in my senior year,” Fuchigami said. “My passion for music was so strong that I needed more time to practice ‘ukulele. So, I started skipping days of school. And at the end of the semester, I had skipped about 30 days of school out of about 30 days of school — hence, the name ‘30 for 30.’”
Fuchigami is a busy man, a young father with a family and a thriving music career that’s taken him well beyond Hawaii. He supplements his income by giving ‘ukulele lessons and has a day job at KTA Super Stores Puainako.
“They’ve been supportive of my music career from the beginning,” he said. “Every time I need to go somewhere, travel to perform or go on tour, I just ask, and immediately, the answer is ‘yes.’ They’ve been just a massive support these 15, 16 years that I’ve been there.”
Fuchigami has just wrapped recording on an upcoming album and is now in the mixing and mastering phase.
“We’re looking to release it in late October or early November,” he explained. That release schedule, by the way, is in time for the 2025 Na Hoku Hanohano awards.
In the near future, Fuchigami has an interview and performance on KWXX-FM in Hilo at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2; an 8:30 a.m. interview on KAPA-FM in Hilo on Wednesday, Oct. 9; a 6 p.m. interview and performance at KZOO Radio in Honolulu on Sunday, Oct. 27; an 8:10 a.m. interview and performance on Monday, Oct. 28, on Hawaii News Now; and the 12th Annual Kris Fuchigami ‘Ukulele Contest, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo.
This year’s contest will have two divisions: Kids ages 5-14 and adults, which is anyone 15 or older. Sign-ups are by email at kris@krisfuchigami.com.
But first things first. Fuchigami has a performance Friday night at the Palace. Asked about it, he invokes the name of international ‘ukulele superstar Jake Shimabukuro, who’s played the Palace countless times over the years.
“It’s amazing that I get to play on the stage where my idol has played so many times,” Fuchigami said. “And it doesn’t matter how many times I do it. The feeling is surreal.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.