Heua‘olu Sai-Dudoit wins Richard Ho‘opi‘i Leo Ki‘eki‘e Falsetto Contest

Heua‘olu Sai-Dudoit’s hyphenated last name is worthy of explanation since it connects two families with longtime ties to the local music community.

His mother comes from the Sai family; her aunt is singer Marlene Sai, recipient of the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award. Through his father, he has ties to the Dudoit ohana of Molokai — a musical family that includes Horace K. Dudoit III, a founding member of Ho‘okena.

But his surname isn’t the only thing about him that prompts some clarification. Take the question, “Where are you from?” Born on Oahu and raised in Kahaluu until his father died when he was in his early teens, his mother then moved the family to the Big Island, and the Panaewa area of Hilo became his home. He graduated from Ke Kula ‘O Nawahiokalani‘opu‘u, a Hawaiian language immersion school in nearby Keaau; its students participate in the Hilo High School athletic program. When people ask, “Where you grad?” and then say they’ve never heard of his school, he can tell them he “grad Hilo High” and not be lying.

Sai-Dudoit grew up speaking Hawaiian. His 11 older siblings attended Hawaiian language immersion schools as well and were speaking Hawaiian at home when he was a toddler, so he was already prepared when he started Hawaiian immersion preschool. Singing Hawaiian songs with his siblings also came naturally.

He sang at school too, and began reaching a larger audience when he recorded a video on his mother’s iPad that she posted on Facebook. He went on to win a talent contest sponsored by Mana Maoli, the ­Hawaiian nonprofit cultural collective.

In September, Sai-Dudoit stepped forward as a Hawaiian falsetto vocalist of note when he won the 20th Annual Richard Ho‘opi‘i Leo Ki‘eki‘e Falsetto Contest at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua on Maui. With the title came a trophy, $600 cash, a Kanile‘a ukulele, a record deal with Haku Collective and several other prizes.

Sai-Dudoit, 19, who now lives on Oahu, is studying Hawaiian language and business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

When did you start singing falsetto?

About fourth grade, my siblings and my mother and I would be driving around listening to Hawaiian 105 KINE listening to Hawaiian music. Me and my siblings, we liked weird noises and sounds, and I was the youngest, you know, monkey see, monkey do; you hear a weird song, you practice it. I remember one time we were on the H-3 listening to Hawaiian 105 KINE, and I remember hearing Genoa Keawe and Hoku Zuttermeister and being conscious of the way they’re singing with that same super-high falsetto, and I started to mimic it. … Then one day in fourth grade, we had a substitute teacher, (Genoa Keawe’s granddaughter) Pomaika‘i Lyman, and she was teaching us her grandmother’s music, and I remember telling my friends, “I can do that.”

How did you become involved in the ­falsetto contest?

A vocal coach at Mana Maoli told me about the falsetto competition and said he thought I’d enjoy it. … I figured it’d be a good way to just see what the world of falsetto singing is like. Especially in this generation.

What was it about “Kalama‘ula” that made it your choice for the contest?

“Kalama‘ula” was written by my great-great-grandmother Emma Kala Dudoit, so it’s direct to my family. I chose it because it’s sort of a standard for falsetto music, also because I have this connection to my father, that I’m able to honor him, and also honor my great-great-grandmother, and all the Dudoits.

What are you working on now?

My Hawaiian language degree comes with the education that I’m able to make use of — that’s up to me. I added on business, because through business there are a lot of different pathways, you know, just an overall better grasp on just how the world works. I’m coupling the two to have a foundation in Hawaiian language, because through Hawaiian language there’s a whole world of knowledge that the majority don’t know of.

Do you have a five- or 10-year plan?

I definitely want to be more literate in music history or just (Hawaiian) language.