Who is Baron Kaholokula?

Who is Baron Kaholokula?

By: Kyle Thompson

Baron Kaholokula, better known around the school as Mr. K, is somewhat of a local celebrity. He has his own modern pop music group, is a traditional Hawaiian music performer and of course is a teacher at Damien. His passions extend beyond just music and teaching, reaching all aspects of his life, and it is very apparent in his mannerisms and personality. There will be more to follow about the local celebrity, Baron Kaholokula.

Mr. K’s group, 21 North, has one studio album to date, Love Letter. The four main members of the band each put a piece of themselves into their work on this passion project. “There's four main members of the band and each of us wanted to dedicate our time and effort into this album as a love letter to something important to us” says Mr. K on the inspiration for their album. Each member of 21 North created this album as a way to get over some emotional trauma each member had, a form of closure if you will. Every song has meaning behind it, even the interlude. Mr. K stated that it was supposed to be a transition for the genre swap that would come, “A calm before the storm” is how he put it. Another very important song in this album to each member of the band is Dancin’. This song was supposed to put the group's passion for music into a single song. The rhythm, beat, melody and the groove were what mattered to 21 North, this is how they interpreted their passion and their love for music, by putting it into four words. Dreaming, 21 North’s most popular song, was inspired by a road trip Mr. K took to the Pacific Northwest. “I got inspired by a long car drive, just looking at all the leaves changing”. “When I wrote Dreaming, it was me reminiscing of driving in the car with somebody.”  The popularity for the song might stem from that idea of nostalgia and good times that everybody has had in their lives. Part of the reason people see him as such an easy-going guy is because of this relatability he has. Mr. K also creates more traditional Hawaiian music, which could be another outlet that people can use to connect to him. 

Hawaiian culture has always been a part of his life. His father was a full-time musician and his mom is a professional hula dancer. Mr. K put it as, “by the time I was born, it was already in the family.” Some would say that his future was already set in stone. Mr. K, however, had other plans “I never wanted to play Hawaiian music, I wanted to be a rockstar,” he says. While he continues to play Hawaiian music professionally on the side, his true passion lies in his band, 21 North. Although there have been many challenges that have been standing between him and his passion, Baron is still walking down the path of music. 

Like it was for everybody, the pandemic was one of Mr. K’s biggest challenges as a musician. “I’m a social human and an entertainer… and that all came to a dramatic halt”, quoted from Mr. K. 21 North dropped their studio album the week before the pandemic, so when everything went to hell, he knew the entertainment industry would be put on hold. At the time, he was already working at Kamehameha schools, specializing in special events, and of course there would be none of these in the near future. “When the opportunity came to come here to Damien to teach what I love, it’s a little bit different. It’ll be a challenge coming in halfway through a school year, but I’m up for it.” 

Part of what makes Mr. K such a great teacher here at Damien is the mindset that he portrays. Students and faculty alike can look to him for inspiration. Mr. K reinforces this idea with a quote his father told him, saying that he always used this as his guideline. “Be grateful, be humble and give back.”