Ten days and nights of events at the South by Southwest Interactive, Film and Music conference and festivals began March 11 in Austin, Texas, with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama among the notable speakers.
In addition to the president, who spoke on the first day, participants include Kailua musician Irie Love, who is a showcasing artist, and the street artists of POW! WOW! Hawaii.
Love is the sole musical artist from Hawaii to be accepted as a SXSW showcasing artist this year. She will headline Friday, and was invited to open for Canadian pop/reggae act Magic on Wednesday. On Saturday, she is part of an all-female musical lineup at the flagship Toms store, featuring 2016 Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo.
“It’s exciting to see that the whole ‘island vibe’ has a place in popular music,” she said. “I’m excited to be a spokesman to say that.”
The soulful reggae and R&B singer, songwriter and performer, who was born and grew up in Kailua, lists Steel Pulse, Hawaii artist Fiji, Chaka Khan and Lauryn Hill among her top influences.
Her sound includes contemporary, electronic elements along with the heavy drum and bass of reggae, she said.
She has recorded with Fiji and toured as a backup singer with Khan and pop artist Pink. Last year, she released two singles, and successfully raised $20,000 on Kickstarter to record a new album, “We Rise,” planned to be released this summer.
Recording continues on “We Rise,” Love said — she’s stopping in L.A. for several days in the studio after her Texas appearances, and will also perform a concert in San Diego.
“I think we’re about three-quarters of the way done,” she said. “I’m still working on it. I’m trying to make sure that it’s a body of work. ‘We Rise’ is every element of who I am up to this point, and I want it to be right.
“I want it to be an empowerment album. Entertainment, empowerment, uplift, victory — those are the themes.”
“Brown Bags to Stardom” brought Love to the public eye. She was a finalist on the Hawaii musical competition in 1999 and moved to Los Angeles the next year to study music in college.
In 2006, Love moved to Kingston, Jamaica, to pursue a solo career in reggae music, and toured worldwide with Jamaican group Morgan Heritage.
She released her first full-length, original album, “This is Irie Love,” in 2012. She has also been featured on several compilation albums.
President Obama gave the opening keynote address at SXSW Interactive on March 11, discussing “civic engagement in the 21st Century.” Festival programming continues through March 20.
Michelle Obama is scheduled to open SXSW Music on Wednesday and discuss the Let Girls Learn initiative, which aims to break down barriers to girls’ education worldwide.
Among the notable films receiving their world premiere at SXSW this year are “Everybody Wants Some,” an ’80s college dramedy written and directed by Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”), and “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday,” which brings Paul Reuben back to the big screen as Pee-wee Herman.
Six Hawaii artists from POW! WOW! Hawaii are on the roster for the Impossible Walls Project, collaborating with Texas-based muralists at multiple locations throughout Austin.
Get more information about the festivals at sxsw.com. Find out more about Irie Love at fb.com/IrieLoveMusic.
