Forget Norah Jones' sultry jazz and Springsteen's rousing rock. Some are hoping the sounds of the islands soon will be honored at the Grammys, and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences is helping to make it happen. Grammys may soon
honor Hawaiian musicThe organizer of the awards could
create a new category in time
for the 2005 showAssociated Press
The academy, which organizes the awards, is working with artists and record labels in Hawaii to establish a Grammy category for Hawaiian music.
For at least 20 years, some grass-roots efforts have been underway to add such a category, but the campaign is finally making significant progress.
"We're almost there," said Deborah Semer, executive director of the recording academy's Pacific Northwest chapter in Seattle, which is overseeing the campaign for a Hawaiian category. "There are a lot of trustees that want to see this happen, the community just needs to step up."
The addition of a category would be considered based on three criteria -- the number of voting members from the Hawaiian music industry; the number of local works currently being submitted to the Grammy Awards; and the uniqueness of the category.
There are 78 voting members of the academy from the Hawaiian music industry, about 50 more than there were two years ago, according to Semer. No set number of members is required, but Semer is aiming for 200 representatives from the Hawaiian music industry.
"If we increase our participation right now and increase membership, we would have no problem proving that we need the category," she said.
A number of albums from Hawaii-based labels were entered for the 2003 Grammys, but only four would qualify as distinctively Hawaiian. That's double the entries from last year, but at least 10 albums must be entered in a given year to qualify for a separate category.
Honolulu-based label Mountain Apple Co. submitted 26 albums for consideration this year, but all fell into other Grammy categories, such as pop, reggae and rap. None was nominated.
Hawaiian albums that currently are entered, but do not fall into other categories, are considered for traditional folk and contemporary folk awards.
The most debated aspect of the three-pronged qualification process is the definition of what type of music the category would honor.
"They're struggling with what is Hawaiian music," Semer said of local members of the music industry. "The community can't agree on that at this point."
Some members of the local music industry want the category to honor albums that are entirely in the Hawaiian language. Others believe any releases from the islands should be considered.
The proposed category likely will strike a balance between the two extremes, mandating some Hawaiian language to make it distinct from 104 other Grammy categories, but not requiring albums to be recorded entirely in Hawaiian, which could allow for too few contenders and potentially undo the entire proposal.
The language requirement -- even if it allowed albums that are 25 percent or 50 percent Hawaiian -- would eliminate many popular albums. But Semer said it's necessary "to prove why is this music different than all other music."
Local music industry officials say it's a tough call.
"Some of the greatest Hawaiian songs were in English," said John Iervolino, president of Quiet Storm Records in Kaneohe. "Therein lies the problem."
Semer hopes to make enough progress to propose the Hawaiian category to the academy's awards and nomination committee in March 2004. If it makes it through, it faces a vote by the academy's trustees two months later. If passed, there would be a new category at the 2005 awards.
It's an exciting prospect for those involved in the islands' music industry.
"It's unique enough of a genre," said Iervolino. "With all the millions and millions and millions of records sold I think it's clear that this is something that is valued outside of the state."
Grammy Awards