HI Finest Talent Contest 2024 - Week 4 | HI93 | Hawaii's Local Hits

We are officially at the midpoint of the 2024 HI 93 Presents Hawaii’s Finest Talent Contest semi-finals.

Pacific Media Group’s statewide local music radio stations—HI93 Oahu (KQMQ), HI92 Maui (KLHI), HI95 Kauai (KSRF), and KAPA-FM Hawaii Island—collaborated with Hawaii’s Finest on a statewide talent contest to help discover and launch Hawaii’s next top star. We aim to find one lucky winner out of our 14 semi-finalists for a chance to win $1,000, a recording session, and a spot at a future Hawaii’s Finest concert!

I can’t believe it’s already been a month since we started the 2024 HI Finest Talent Contest. It felt like we saw our first contestants perform last week. We here at HI93 are having so much fun putting this on for everyone and we’re just blown away by the amazing talent Hawaii has to offer.

In week four, hosted by HI93’s Pu’unui, we saw two more semi-finalists grace the stage: Caroline from Waipahu and Makamae from Makakilo, headlined by Pohaku and Micah G. We’re coming in hot after a special 4th of July week, so we look to ride that momentum. Check out the photo gallery below.

Talent #7: Caroline

First up for the night, we got Caroline, who kicks us off with a cover of Anuhea’s “Higher Than The Clouds.” It was a great way to open her set and showcase her smooth vocals. She looked like she was having fun, dancing, and getting down throughout her performance. She followed that with an original of hers titled “Perfect”—a chill reggae track that gave us a glimpse of her songwriting style. Caroline caps it off with an R&B classic, “So Sick” by Ne-Yo. What a finale to what was already an amazing set. Her voice truly shined on this track, especially when she got to the bridge and showed off her vocal versatility. The Waipahu native was a natural in the spotlight and gave a star-making performance.

Learn more about Caroline and how she fell in love with music in our Before The Stage interview.

Talent #8: Makamae

Next on deck is Makamae from Makakilo. Her first song is a cover of “Girl Crush” by the country band Little Big Town. It was a sweet and mesmerizing rendition of the hit song that left us wanting more. Then, she performed a Hawaiian classic in “I’m Waiting” by Kani Makou. It was a great song choice that perfectly suited Makamae’s soft and tender voice. We’re starting to see the type of singer she is. Lastly, she concludes with “Dreams” by the legendary Fleetwood Mac. This is a timeless song that can be challenging for many singers but Makamae handled it with grace. Her musical style is quite soothing—ideal for easy listening.

Learn more about Makamae and who inspired her musical journey in our Before The Stage interview.

Overall Thoughts

This week, we got more of a chill and mellow vibe, compared to last week. We’re getting more talent with diverse styles and genres, proving that Hawaii has it all. Caroline gave us a more R&B and reggae vibe while Makamae presented us with country and soft rock.

Two different vibes but both were equally pleasant to listen to.

Three More Weeks Left!

The midpoint of the 2024 HI Finest Talent Contest did not disappoint! Every contestant is stepping up their game in different ways, making it harder for the judge to decide…but extremely fun for us fans.

You know how I mentioned the diverse genres and styles we’ve seen so far? Well, if you’re a hip-hop fan, you’ll definitely want to tune in next week. We got two more contestants flying in from our neighboring islands: Jioji from Kahaluu and Local Boy Hittah from Lihue. Headlining the event will be Malino and Hammah House. It should be another exciting week, so don’t miss out. $10 tickets for four performances? Can’t beat that!