KŌWĀ 

KŌWĀ: A sonic exploration of connection, reflection, and joy Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning, Emmy nominated singer-songwriter Izik emerges with KŌWĀ, a deeply personal and genre-blending album that traces the arc of his evolution over the past five years. A departure from the grief and heartbreak that defined his earlier works, KŌWĀ instead offers a reflective celebration of life, love, and the power of reconnection. The inspiration for KŌWĀ began as a meditation on the color blue. In conversations with his sister and cultural scholar Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada, Izik reflected on how ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi describes different shades of blue based on one’s relationship and proximity to the object being described. This cultural nuance led to a deeper understanding of his own creative process: that the spectrum he was trying to convey through music wasn’t just emotional or spatial, but deeply intimate—anchored in his personal relationship to lived experience. “The spectrum I’m actually trying to convey in my music isn’t just latitudinal or longitudinal,” he explains. “It also includes a third, intimate element of proximity—the one between myself and my experiences.” This idea sparked a realization: his next body of work wouldn’t focus on broad emotional themes, but on the nuance that exists between them. The result is KŌWĀ—a concept and a collection born in the space in-between. Following the global pause of 2020, Izik’s internal compass began to shift. That period of stillness invited him to embrace a slower, more intentional rhythm—one rooted in presence and personal fulfillment. He turned his focus inward, deepening relationships and prioritizing his love for surfing, traveling, and time with ʻohana. Those five years of grounding became fertile soil for creative renewal, ultimately guiding him back to the studio with a clear and purposeful voice. As Izik reflects, “KŌWĀ is how I chose to fill up the spaces in my life that were carved out by 2020.” The journey back to music began with “Pīkake,” the album’s first single, produced by Calvin Canha. It became the spark that set KŌWĀ in motion—an album shaped by a rich blend of influences, from folk and R&B to reggae, country, and contemporary Hawaiian music. This genre-fluid approach led Izik to collaborate with producer Brandon Haru, whom he met in Aotearoa in 2020. Five years later, he returned to Taumarunui to record the album alongside Haru and friends Dre Scot, JRoQ, and Lina Robins. KŌWĀ isn’t just an album—it’s a moment of reclamation. Woven into every track are the shifting shades of blue, evoking the depth of the ocean and its ancestral currents. It is a soulful reminder that the space between who we were and who we are becoming is both profound and sacred. As Izik shares, “KŌWĀ is my celebration of life. It is my love letter to Moananuiākea. It is a snapshot of how much I am loved by my ‘ohana and my friends. It is a testament to the power we all have within us when we choose to call upon our kūpuna and lean upon our friends.”