Taimane Tauiliili Bobby Gardner, (born February 13, 1989) who often performs under the

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

Taimane, is an American

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'', or ; Late Latin ''virtuosus''; Latin ''virtus''; 'virtue', 'excellence' or 'skill') is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as fine arts, ...

and composer. In 2019, she won a

Nā Hōkū Hanohano award The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.Berger, John"A night of Na Hoku Hanohano" ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. May 22, 2011.Haug, Kawehi"Hoku awardees shine ...

, for Favorite Entertainer of the Year. In 2019, her song "Water", from her album, ''Elemental'', was nominated for Instrumental Composition of the Year by Nā Hoku Hanohano Awards.

Early life

Gardner was born in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, to Jack and Elva Gardner, and is of

Samoan Samoan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean ** Something of, from, or related to Samoa, a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands ** Something of, from, ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, Irish,

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

descent. Her name translates to ''diamond'' in the

Samoan language Samoan ( or , ) is a Polynesian languages, Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. Administratively, the islands are split between the sovereign country of Samoa and the Unincorporated territories of the United States, Unit ...

. Gardner began playing the

at the age of 5 and attended

Roy Sakuma Roy Sakuma (born Jan 22, 1947) is a ukulele teacher, credited for sparking new generations of ukulele players and virtuosos like Jake Shimabukuro who got his start as a young student at Roy Sakuma Studios. Sakuma launched what is considered to be ...

’s ukulele school. She was discovered by legendary musician

Don Ho Donald Tai Loy Ho (; August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian traditional pop musician, singer, and entertainer. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the 1966 album of the same name. Early life, family and education Ho ...

at age 13 and also studied under

Jake Shimabukuro Jake Shimabukuro (born November 3, 1976) is a ukulele player and composer from Hawaii known for his fast and complex finger work. His music combines elements of jazz, blues, funk, rock, bluegrass, classical, folk, and flamenco. Shimabukuro has wri ...

as a teenager. She graduated from the

Honolulu Waldorf School The Honolulu Waldorf School is a coeducational, independent school serving approximately 150 students from early childhood through eighth grade. Established in 1961, the school is located in Niu Valley on the island of Oʻahu in the state of Ha ...

before attending Kapiolani Community College.

Career

Taimane became a popular local musician on the Waikiki performance circuit as a teenager. In 2005, she released her first album ''Loco Princess''. Her album ''Life – The Art & Beauty of Being Human'' was released in 2008. Other released solo projects include ''Ukulele Dance'' in 2012, ''We Are Made of Stars'' in 2015, ''Elemental'' in 2018 and ''Hawaiki'' (2022). Taimane has performed internationally in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. Her album ''We Are Made of Stars'' was nominated for Ukulele Album of the Year at the 2016

Na Hoku Hanohano Awards The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.Berger, John"A night of Na Hoku Hanohano" ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. May 22, 2011.Haug, Kawehi"Hoku awardees shine ...

. Taimane has also been recognized for her cover medley performances, including a spot on the

Guitar World Magazine ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original ar ...

Top 10 Ukulele Moments list. On March 13, 2020, Taimane performed on NPR's ''Tiny Desk'' series.

Discography

Albums * ''Loco Princess'' (2005) * ''Life – The Art & Beauty of Being Human'' (2008) * ''Ukulele Dance'' (2012) * ''We Are Made of Stars'' (2015) * ''Elemental'' (2018) * ''Hawaiki'' (2022)

References

External links

Official Website
* * 1989 births Living people American people of Samoan descent Ukulele players from Hawaii 21st-century American composers 21st-century American women composers Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners Mountain Apple Company artists {{string-musician-stub American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of French descent American people of Swedish descent Samoan people of German descent Samoan people of Swedish descent Samoan people of Irish descent American people of German-Samoan descent