Brittni Paiva

Brittni Paiva, a multi award-winning instrumentalist, is known for her stunning articulation of what she can do on the ukulele. Brittni and her ukulele are a brilliant match: Both are humble in nature, small in size, and very powerful with proper delivery. Brittni and the ukulele in general have gained notoriety, no longer confined by stereotypes about the instrument. There’s a global resurgence in the instrument’s popularity and she is part of the trend. Brittni is well-known in world music circles with millions of hits on YouTube.

She has performed on stage with Carlos Santana when he appeared in Hawaii and has also joined famed guitarist Tommy Emmanuel on stage at the California Worldfest; she has become a 3-time Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner with numerous other awards and nominations throughout the years, including Most Promising Artist of the Year in 2005 for her debut release, Brittni x 3.

Releasing her 5th album with the legendary Grammy winner Tom Scott — who personally requested to play with her at a concert — thinks Brittni is the real deal, because of her ability to play all kinds of music without losing her identity. “She plays it like a guitar, giving her a wide range of possibilities. She adapts tunes to this instrument, and makes them sound full and rich. She’s doing a great job and has a great future…She’s got a really unique voice in music,” he raved.

Brittni received two nominations for her 5th album and won both categories: Ukulele Album of the Year and Instrumental Composition of the Year from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts (Na Hoku Hanohano Awards).

“Brittni brings a whole new spirit to the music and to the instrument: pop sensibilities in a smooth jazz format,” says John Schroeter, music producer and author of Between the Strings: The Secret Lives of Guitars. “It’s got a new kind of energy—it’s infectious.”

She began her music career at the age of four, training in classical piano through the Suzuki method. Seven years later, her grandfather gave her an ukulele, a traditional 4-string Hawaiian folk instrument. It was “love at first touch”.