The singer songwriter who penned “All for One,” the theme song for the hundredth episode of “Hawai’i Five-0,” is heading back to the Islands soon to perform. The song, which was also reprised in the series finale, will be one of many he shares with audiences on Tuesday, Feb. 3, and Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Blue Note Hawai’i in Waikīkī.
For John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting, it will be his first performance in Hawai’i in more than 10 years. The last one was at the “Hawaiʻi Five-0” season six premiere, held at Sunset on the Beach in September of 2015, where Ondrasik sang “All for One.”
This time, he brings his band, including drummer Randy Cooke (Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart), bassist Sean Hurley (John Mayer, Ringo Starr, Alanis Morissette), and guitarist Jeff Suburu (Enrique Iglesias). There are two shows each night.
Today, Five For Fighting has more than 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His song “Superman (It’s Not Easy) has more than 304 million streams. His song “100 Years,” has more than 210 million streams. His music has been featured in films, television shows and commercials, including “The Blind Side,” “Hawaiʻi Five-0,” and “The Sopranos.”
Ondrasik rose to fame after releasing the Grammy-nominated pop rock ballad “Superman (It’s Not Easy), which became popular in the days following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Since then, he has released six studio albums, including the platinum-certified “America Town” and “The Battle for Everything.”
He released the song “OK (We Are Not OK)” in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. He also wrote “Can One Man Save The World,” which is inspired by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine.
“If you look back in history, there's been so many moments where songs and music have reflected the times,” he said. “Certainly, you go back to the 60s and 70s and the Civil Rights era, the Vietnam War — there's a lot of songs talking about those events, and you can listen to them and get a sense of history in a unique way. Songwriters have always kind of written about the world around them. Of course, it's one person's view, and people can agree with it or not, but you kind of have a collection of music that can give you a sense of the times in a unique way.”
He also has performed for troops.
“You know the pride of my life has been performing for our troops. I performed in Hawaiʻi for our troops at the Naval Base, back in the day,” he said. “I write songs about freedom, and I write songs about their sacrifice.”
Ondrasik is no stranger to the Islands. He first traveled to Hawaiʻi when he as 18 years old, which at the time was the legal drinking age for the state. Over the years, Ondrasik has visited the Islands at least 25 times, he estimated. He has also performed at a few luaus, where his daughter took the stage.
Ondrasik wrote the song “If God Made You” while sitting by the ocean on Hawaiʻi Island.
“It's hard to talk about your own songs, but for me if somebody would say what's your favorite lyric that you've written? It's a song called ʻIf God Made You.’ The line is: ʻIf God made you, he's in love with me,’” he said. “I wrote that literally sitting on a rock in the middle of nowhere in Kona. Those kind of settings — an incredible sunset after a huge rainstorm — are very unique to the Islands, and they certainly inspire art and words.”
He and his wife honeymooned in Kona. His parents had their honeymoon on Maui, he added.
“Our family typically comes to Hawaiʻi at least once a year, so we're always enjoying the Islands,” he said. “It's a lot of fun to be coming and performing with the band and doing these shows. … It's my daughter's happy place, and I took many writing trips throughout my life to Hawaiʻi to write music.”
Inspiration for songs comes in different ways. Sometimes lyrics come first. Other times, the melody or a concept emerges.
“My song ʻ100 Years’ is really about appreciating the moment,” he said. “And ʻSuperman (It's Not Easy)’ to be me — I think that feeling, we all can feel that at times in our life.”
The family will be taking some extra time for vacation too, he added.
“Not only am I excited, my wife's excited, my kids are excited,” he said with a laugh. “It's great.”
His daughter will be at the concerts with her bandmate, who is visiting Hawaiʻi for the first time. The duo forms the folk-rock band, Lace & Lee.
“There's nothing better than bringing someone who's never been to Hawaiʻi and kind of watching them discover it,” Ondrasik added. “You know, one of these days we may just stay and never go back to the Mainland.”
The upcoming shows are family friendly.
“Feel free to bring the kids, the grandparents,” he said. “There's something for everybody, and we just can't wait.”
The performances start at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, and Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Blue Note Hawaiʻi. Tickets are $40+. Get tickets.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
