Paula Fuga headlines this week’s free First Friday concert at the Hawaii
State Art Museum, and she¹s back home after performing with Jack Johnson on
his just-completed mainland summer tour.

“I’m looking forward to playing a couple of these new songs,” Fuga said,
referring to her new EP, “Misery’s End,” that includes contributions by
Johnson and Ziggy Marley.

Fuga said she enjoyed a great run of shows with Johnson, her musical
benefactor, singing before crowds of 15,000-plus. “He’s so generous and
personally supportive of me,” she said. “He’s such a great friend and role
model.” She was impressed with the man¹s commitment and personal
responsibility toward nonprofit charities and environmental concerns.

And she won¹t be kicking back while she¹s back in Hawaii. After doing some
shows on Maui and the Big Island, Fuga will be a keynote speaker for a
international conference being held here for the prevention of child abuse
and neglect.

“I used to work with kids one-on-one a few years ago, dealing with youth in
foster care, so I’m looking forward to that,” she noted. “I want to
encourage the youth of Hawaii to be all they can be, not afraid to try new
things, with no limits or boundaries.”

Read more about Fuga, her concert plans and First Friday in Honolulu in TGIF
on Friday, in print and online at www.staradvertiser.com/tgif.