We caught up with the brilliant and insightful M.C. Victor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
M.C., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
To be honest, I haven’t professionally ventured out on my own in the world as being a musical solo artist yet, which is why I was hesitant to do this interview. Music has been an integral part of my life growing up, and my professional exposure to the music gig scene has always been with my 3-generation Hawaiian family band called “Victor Ohana,” which is composed of me, my Grandpa Allen, my dad Michael, and my sister Leilani. We have been a band for almost 20 years and have performed– and continue to perform–at various venues such as restaurants, parties, and private events mainly around Santa Cruz county. So in a sense, because I haven’t fully branched out of my family’s band nor branded myself officially as a solo artist, doing this interview was already a risk because of the criticism I may get from listeners to this interview since I’m proclaiming myself to be something I’m not–a professionally paid solo artist/creative. At least, not yet. And what’s kept me back so far from releasing my music and reaching out to teach more paid dance classes–because dancing (hip hop) and teaching dance is definitely a part of my brand–is perfection and not being able to reach that standard in both endeavors. But here I am completing this interview, and if I’m lucky and fortunate enough to be chosen to be interviewed, I also see this as an opportunity to use this interview as a benchmark in my life that will remind me once this interview has passed to keep me accountable to pursue Kailianu wholeheartedly and not be afraid of everything that that pursuit entails–failure, success, and everything out and in between.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Kailianu is my artist name. Kailianu was the name of my great-great-grandfather who lived on the Big Island of Hawaii and I thought it was the coolest name ever. According to my Grandpa Allen, it means something along the lines of “cold skin” in Hawaiian, even though my skin is far from cold. I endeavor Kailianu to be a solo musical artist particularly in the Pop/Electronic Dance Music (Pop/EDM) genre. I eventually hope to sell my music and teach dance choreographies to my music throughout dance studios in California and perform them. I aspire to produce music about my life experiences, ranging in themes from faith, isolation, to uncertainty, to finding solace through my family and loved ones, to being grateful for the little things like a smile from a stranger or the sunlight on my face, and to learning to be okay with oneself in the present moment among other things. I plan on releasing my first single this summer with Dayne Allen having recorded the music video.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
A particular goal or mission that’s driving my creative journey is that if my music can impact at least one person in a positive way–like finding the joy in the little things, or learning to not make every bad thing a catastrophe because of anxiety and learning to accept that everything is not as bad as it seems–then I am doing the right thing. Another goal of mine is to show how a musical artist can convey the message of his or her music holistically through dancing, thus showing the physical interpretation of what the music means to that artist, which may be impactful to the audience in some way.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
In my view, society can best support artists, creatives, and a thriving creative ecosystem by keeping an open mind and not being afraid to get out of their comfort zones to try and experience new things or things that they are not familiar with or that they may not usually make time for. For example, if one has never danced before, or doesn’t usually listen to other genres of music except one or two, or sticks to eating the same thing everyday and hasn’t tried other cultural foods, or has never been to an art show or a business that they wouldn’t think about going to, then I would encourage that person to be self-aware, remember that the world is bigger than what’s between our own two ears and what we grew up with, and try something new once in a while. When we have a sensible open mind and try new things in a sensible way, even if those things don’t end up being something we particularly like or enjoy, then that’s okay; if anything, it shows that we recognize the world does not revolve around us and hopefully we can at least have an appreciation for that experience regardless. The earth spins at the same rate for everyone but its orbit does not revolve around anyone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.victorohana.com/
- Instagram: instagram.com/kailianu_
Image Credits
Dayne Allen