Mike Love | |
|---|---|
 Mike Love in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Oahu, Hawaii |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Website | Official website |
Mike Love is an American reggae musician and singer from Hawai'i. His 2014 record, Jah Will Never Leave I Alone, reached #3 on Billboard 's Reggae chart. [1] He self-describes his style as "revolutionary consciousness music". [2]
Born on O'ahu, he grew up in Kalama Valley and attended Henry J. Kaiser High School. [3]
He released his debut album The Change I'm Seeking in 2012, followed by Jah Will Never Leave I Alone in 2014, Love Will Find A Way in 2015, and the Love Overflowing EP a year later. [4]
Mike Love opened for Xavier Rudd's Boulder, Colorado concert in 2015, singing together during the end of the show. [5] Love attributes some of his success to his YouTube rendition of "Permanent Holiday", which has more than 20 million views as of 2019. [6] The song's lyrics turn what seem to be a "random assortment of syllables...into a song over a period of three minutes", according to Colossal . [7]
Love has toured in the Philippines (headlining the Malasimbo music festival), [8] New Zealand, [9] and Costa Rica, among other locations internationally. In the US he has played at the Rise Up Music Festival in 2019, [10] the Rhode Island Reggae Festival in 2019, [11] Bhakti Fest in 2019, [12] Think Bank Down By the Riverside in 2019, [13] and was slated to perform at the California Roots Music and Arts Festival until its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [14]
Love has collaborated with Clinton Fearon on his album History Say. [15] He participates in Playing for Change. [16] In 2024, Love performed a two-hour set at the Culture Bloom Session (CBS) in Germany during his European tour. The session, co-organized by members of Boomtown Shakedown, featured performances of Love’s original songs and covers, showcasing his fusion of reggae, roots, and world music. [17]
He currently plays with his band, Mike Love and the Full Circle, consisting of John Hawes, Keith Tsukamaki, Reggie Padilla, and Arthur Davis. [6] In addition to touring, the band does a weekly gig at Hawaiian Brian's on O'ahu. All of Love's albums are released independently on his own label, Love Not War Records. [18]