Voss Ka‘ilianu Fernandes – Bio

Voss was born and raised on the beautiful island of Kauai, back before Hawaii became the 50th state. As it was back then and still is today, Hawaiian music and dance and the joy of performing is the enduring Kokoro ire¹ of the Hawaiian culture. From Kupuna to Keiki (elders to children), the joy of music and dance is as enduring and powerful to nourishment of the Aloha Spirit² as lava and nature are to the formation of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands.

Although Voss physically left the islands years ago, he still lives with Aloha Spirit and his deep Hawaiian roots are evident in the easy-going nature that accompanies his singing and guitar playing. His Hawaiian name is Ka`ilianu, which means first cool breath.

Outside of high school band, Voss has no other formal training for the performing stage. What he does have is over 40 years of preparation, learning and singing and playing for friends and family. This self-motivated form of education gives Voss a unique style. He is truly motivated by the joy he and others experience from music.

Voss has been the evening’s entertainment around many camp fires all over the country and he enjoys singing for the Kupuna (elderly) in care homes. Voss sings the fun, thoughtful songs of John Prine, along with country/blue grass songs by Jerry Jeff Walker, Merle Haggard, John Denver, and others. He mixes in classic rock songs, many by Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, and always a few songs about Hawaii.

People tell Voss he sounds like Neil Young. Voss says, “That’s an honor — Neil Young is my favorite performer. I hope part of what makes people say that is my wide selection of songs. Neil Young has an amazing ability to bridge a large spectrum of musical styles and to me, it’s a great example of Aloha Spirit — the ability to embrace differences, musical and otherwise, with such friendly acceptance.”

In the short time since Voss made the decision to take his show on the road, he has performed in a wide variety of venues, from a few people in a coffee house, to full lounges, to hundreds at private parties. Voss has shared his music and Aloha Spirit with many in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and of course Hawaii.

1 Kokoro ire: Japanese for the emotional content of a song that can resonate across cultures.

2 Aloha Spirit: The Aloha Spirit is a reference to the attitude of friendly acceptance for which the people of the Hawaiian Islands are so famous.