Being a teenager in Hawaii, it can be difficult to find a diverse amount of concerts to attend. How do high schoolers feel about this? Why is there a lack of trending music artists that come to perform here? And, will we ever get the concerts that we want, here in Hawaii?

In a survey of nearly 50 high school students, 95.8% said they wished more of their favorite artists would perform here. Many students complained about having F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out) and not being able to experience the same concerts that the mainland does.

One student surveyed said “I feel like I’m missing out on the experience of being able to see a concert of an artist I genuinely enjoy.”

This all lends to the question: Why is there a lack of trending music artists that come to perform here? According to Lana Teramae in the Ka Leo (UH Manoa’s Newspaper), the main reason for the lack of artists that come to perform here is that it is too inconvenient for them.

With Hawaii being an already expensive place to live, it would cost even more for musicians to come and perform here. Musicians must think about the costs of shipping music equipment while also choosing a good venue that will sell out enough tickets to gain profit.

Once again, with the expensive cost of living in Hawaii, concert tickets may not even be affordable enough to purchase.

Another student surveyed said, “I feel pressured to travel just to see my favorite artists. The added costs of flights can make dents in our (parents’) wallets.”

So, is it possible that the teenagers of Hawaii will get the concerts that they want? Well, the Republik, a smaller performance venue, provides a variety of musical performances. This venue allows all ages depending on the occasion. Some events require attendees to be 18+ unless accompanied by an adult. Some artists that perform at the Republik have more underground, indie, or not as mainstream artists compared to who would perform at, for example, the Aloha Stadium or Blaisdell Center. Their genres can range from EDM, alternative rock, hip hop/rap, and country.

In the past, artists like Doja Cat, Jhene Aiko, and recently, Earl Sweatshirt have performed at the Republik. These artists may be more recognizable and appealing to the younger generations. Back in October the Republik’s Instagram account (@Jointherepublik) announced that Daniel Caesar, R&B singer and songwriter, would be hosting his “Superpowers World Tour” in three locations. One of those locations being here, Honolulu, Hawaii. Re-posts of this announcement flooded peoples’ Instagram stories, especially students. Many were ecstatic that Honolulu could finally have a trending artist come and perform here. On Oct. 13, the tickets went on sale. People rushed to order these tickets online, and quickly they sold out. The concert will be held on three days: Dec. 19, 20, and 21 (2023).

With all that being said, there could still be hope for teenagers in Hawaii looking for concerts to go to. These concerts aren’t very consistent, but maybe this could just be the start of a future where great artists to come to perform here.