From Pig Farm to Hit Songs: Chardonnay’s Unlikely Rise | Chardonnay Keeps It Aloha (Ep. 224)

From Pig Farm to Hit Songs: Chardonnay’s Unlikely Rise | Chardonnay Keeps It Aloha (Ep. 224)

From Keep it Aloha by Kamaka Dias

April 16, 2026 · 2h 9m

About this episode

Chardonnay Pa'o discusses her journey from a pig farm to becoming an award-winning singer-songwriter in Hawaii.

Chardonnay Pa'o is a Native-Hawaiian award-winning singer, songwriter from the west side of O’ahu. This Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-Winner is also a farmer and is redefining what it means to live rooted while chasing your dreams. She first caught people’s attention wearing a coconut hat and putting an island twist on Adele’s “Easy On Me,” with a version produced by Kapena that had people saying her voice was “so 'ono.”From there, she built a loyal following through her weekly #ChardonnaySunday performances online, leading to her breakout single “Hey” featuring Peni Dean, which went #1 on Hawaiʻi radio and earned her an Island Music Award nomination.Her hit “Stay Home” featuring past podcast guest Kuʻulei became a TikTok sensation in 2020, and she followed that up with her debut EP, featuring “Sweet Island Music,” which held the #1 spot all summer and earned her three Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award nominations and winning Instrumental Composition of the Year.In this episode we talk about her upbringing, growing up on a pig farm, her grandpa, the start of the music career, mental health, the recent Kona Low storms, upcoming music, and so much more. Enjoy!Buy our merch:🛍️…

People in this episode

Host: Kamaka Dias

Guest: Chardonnay Pa'o

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards

Places: O’ahu, Hawaiʻi, Kona

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