Eleven months after Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho made history by becoming the first recording artists to win the Grammy for Best Hawaiian Music Album, the two longtime friends are maintaining the momentum.

First and foremost, they recorded and released another album, “;He Nani,”; a sequel to the Grammy-winning “;'Ikena,”; that continues their creative partnership with lyricist Amy Ku'uleialoha Stillman.

Ho has also produced albums by kumu hula Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, Darlene Ahuna and Gordon Mark—and co-produced another compilation album with his Grammy Award-winning partners George Kahumoku Jr., Paul Konwiser and Wayne Wong.

Outside the studio, he's been performing in the United States, Japan and several European nations.

And as if that's not enough, the soft-spoken Ho has written five books on topics ranging from advanced music theory to an entry-level introduction to finger-style playing. There is also a book he co-authored with Stillman to thoroughly document the songs they composed for “;'Ikena”; and “;He Nani.”;

At Stillman's suggestion, Ho said, the book also addresses the “;cultural politics of contemporary Hawaiian music.”;

“;Amy thought it was necessary to talk about the tradition and where it's going. We didn't spend too much time on how it has affected us (personally) ... but she said you can't ignore it (forever),”; he said from California on New Year's Day.

Some of the books are already available at www.danielho.com; all five will be available by March. All will be released first in hard copy, with digital e-book editions to come later if the demand is there.

Carrere finished work on “;You May Not Kiss the Bride”; and is continuing to work toward producing a film biography of Rell Sunn—“;Acting in movies is easier than producing them,”; she said. She also sang at the 50th Annual Los Angeles Cultural Celebration on Christmas Eve. It was the first time Hawaiian music had been included in the program.

Next up on their schedule is a performance tonight at the Hawaii State Art Museum on Hotel Street in honor of this year's Grammy Award nominees. “;He Nani”; is one of the four finalists on the 2010 ballot, and Carrere and Ho will be sharing the stage with artists representing the other three—Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom and several of the guest vocalists from her album, “;Family and Friends of Hawai'i”;; Ho'okena playing selections from “;Nani Maui Loa: Everlasting Beauty”;; and several artists representing “;Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Vol. 2,”; the fifth compilation album from Ho's label to reach the final ballot.

This is the first year that there have been four finalists in the category instead of five. No one can be sure what the impact of cutting the field from five finalists to four will be.

Looking back during a New Year's Day telephone interview, Carrere described the experience of winning the Grammy in 2009 as a “;great joy and great responsibility.”;

“;There were some questions and controversy and things like that, but I was proud to be able to share my home with the rest of the world,”; she said. “;I feel proud that in my small way we have been able to bring to the world stage an awareness of a much deeper understanding of Hawaiian music.”;

True, it is anyone's guess how many members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences voted for “;'Ikena”; because they were impressed by Stillman's skill as a Hawaiian-language lyricist, but the fact is, the songs were new Hawaiian-language compositions—and Stillman writes in Hawaiian rather than having someone translate English lyrics into Hawaiian.

“;I think there are few people with more expertise or knowledge than Amy Stillman in the language,”; Carrere continued. “;She's brought up in interviews (that) the whole point in Hawaiian music is to tell the stories that are truthful to you in your life now.”;

There's a place for preserving tradition, she added, “;but there's also a place for creating new stories from the realities we have today, and that's where Daniel and Amy have stepped up.”;

Ho said he is looking forward to spending more time this year playing music.

“;The producing side of my work (in 2009) has been really more productive or more recognized than the other parts of it—like me as a player or songwriter or singer—and I'm trying to re-balance that and do more of my own original music (this year).”;

And so, in addition to launching the five books and producing a third album by Hewett, Ho is looking forward to releasing another solo album of his own in the acoustic pop style of his “;Sunny Spaces”; and “;Simple as a Sunrise”; albums.

“;I don't sell nearly what these other people (on my label) do,”; he said matter-of-factly. “;But the end goal is do music that I love, and I love doing that music, too.”;