Daniel Ho
About the Author
Daniel Ho's simple philosophy of presenting music with sincerity and artistry has resulted in numerous accolades, including six consecutive Grammy awards, number one albums on national airplay charts, and top 10 albums on Billboard. In 2010, his solo ukulele album, Pōlani (Pure), was the first ukulele album in music history to receive a Grammy nomination. The following year, he received a nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album for his album E Kahe Mālie (Flowing Gently), in which he swapped ukulele for piano. Daniel's album On A Gentle Island Breeze was nominated for a Grammy award in the World Music category.
A Honolulu native, Daniel started music lessons at an early age and spent his teenage years orchestrating big band arrangements. At the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, he excelled in composition and film scoring. He was the leader and keyboardist of Kilauea, the acclaimed 1990s contemporary jazz band.
Daniel performs original songs in English and Hawaiian that feature his versatility on ukulele, slack key guitar, and piano. Notable credits include singing Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" in Hawaiian for the feature film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and his widely covered ukulele instrumental anthem, "Pineapple Mango (The Breakfast Song)." As an independent record company owner, he pursues excellence in composition, performance, audio engineering, and production.
Ever the innovator, Daniel's custom six-string KoAloha ukulele, the D-VI, is currently on exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum. In addition, he has collaborated with world-renowned luthier Pepe Romero in the design of the Tiny Tenor and XS Soprano ukuleles.
