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Editor’s Note: This is the second in a three-part series.
The sound of rock, pop and blues is shown through the works of many musicians across El Paso. Musician Texas Hart is one of many solo artists who has been creating music for years.
Hart, 26, was born and raised in Honolulu and later moved to El Paso, Texas at 13-years-old. Hart found his interest in performing by being a hula dance performer in his mother’s hula group, Leilani and The Royal Islanders, at three-years-old.
“At recess during middle school my friends and I we would spend our recess playing ukuleles and jamming out,” Hart said. “And then I came to El Paso when I was 13, halfway through eighth grade and that’s how I sort of started making friends here. I didn’t know how to make friends, so I grabbed my ukulele and brought it to school.”
By bringing his ukulele to school, Hart was able to discover his passion for music. As he got older, he took his musicianship more seriously.
When creating music, Hart makes it for himself to express what he feels inside.
“How do I express what I’m feeling inside?” Hart said. “I’ve been through a lot, I’ve traveled a lot and I’ve met a lot of people and I have a lot of experiences and so, it’s hard to articulate that sometimes in person, so it helps me a lot to put it into music.”
Though Hart moved to El Paso at a later age, he takes account of Frontera culture in his music. As a Polynesian, he realizes the difference in Honolulu and El Paso and sees how the cultures are both parallel.
“It’s fascinating to me that Hawaiian culture or Polynesian culture and Latin culture are sort of parallel,” Hart said. “The music is very rhythmic based, dancing’s very flowy a lot of color, family values and all that stuff, it’s very parallel although these cultures have never really crossed.”
Hart says that living in El Paso is the influence he needs to inspire him and his music. Outside of music, Hart is currently working at a karaoke bar.
“Story of One” is a debut album that Hart has been working on diligently since 2017. Hart has plans to release the album this year.
“It’s closer than it’s ever been, I started the project in 2017,” Hart said. “I dropped out of Berkley College of Music, and I started writing. This album has gone through so many different processes, it was originally called ‘Water’ and it was originally a play on the (Bill of Rights and the First Ten Amendments) of the United States.”
After moving back to El Paso, Hart met people who he then went on journeys and adventures with which influenced the story. After the long process, Hart wants to complete this project and stop recycling the music so that it can be set to release in June of this year.
Musicians come from many different cultures of the world. Hart has made use of his culture and Frontera culture to influence his music and musicianship. Hart’s music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube under Texas Hart.
Avery Escamilla-Wendell is the web and copy editor and may be reached at [email protected] or Instagram @by_avery_escamilla.
