Biography
New Hope Oahu infuse the praise-and-worship tradition with distinctive Polynesian elements, drawing on the precedent set by Hillsong United and Jesus Culture through the addition of ukulele, nylon-string guitars, and lyrics in Polynesian languages. The ensemble, which operates under the auspices of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii, first appeared in 2013 when Pastor Wayne Cordeiro presented their debut live recording, Hope Is Alive. Their distinctive approach to CCM pop reached fuller expression on the 2014 studio album Victorious, their initial full-length effort, which ascended to the top position on Billboard’s Praise & Worship Albums chart. Also in 2014 the group issued a joint project with New Hope’s Youth Performing Arts Center. Following their affiliation with the Capitol-affiliated imprint Dream Records, New Hope Oahu delivered the more contemporary album Greater Together in 2015. Two years later the collective documented a concert performance with the EP Live at the Blaisdell Arena and simultaneously released the studio album Kingdom.