Keepin’ It Island Style
This music gives me rhythm, helps me heal my soul.”
The lyric from the song Love Slow by brothers Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm, reflects just how important the art form is in both of their lives.
Music and rhythm are a part of them — and are literally their middle names.
Nyjah, 16, and Zyah, 15, come from a family rooted in music. Their uncle is Bruno Mars and their mom, Tahiti Kemper Hernandez, was a member of The Lylas — an R&B group that included their aunties — and today remains a “DJ for fun.”
The brothers’ childhoods are filled with memories of family karaoke, playing ʻukulele and singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow and You Are My Sunshine with their grandma.
“We’re just super blessed to have a strong, musical family and a talented bloodline and a supportive family around us,” Zyah says. “It was fun, it was loud (and) it molded us to who we are now.”
Nyjah adds, “We always got to sing with the family when we all got together.”
The North Shore duo has accumulated a steady stream of industry cred over the past few years, from singing an a capella version of Janet Jackson’s Together Again in a Gap holiday ad to being featured on the soundtrack of Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch.
While the siblings have had an online presence on Instagram since 2013, they garnered a spike in attention (and 48,000 likes) in March 2024 when they posted their cover of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling In Love.
“After that, it kind of clicked that we’re a team,” Zyah says, adding that it was the first time they had sung harmonies together.
The brothers dropped their first single on Nov. 8, 2024. The Island Girl Is Mine is their take on Michael Jackson’s The Girl is Mine.
They’ve also released an additional six singles and four music videos — the most recent being Summer Love, which came out in October.
Their sound leans toward island reggae, but they also are open to including R&B and pop into their music.
“Our goal is just to sing and be brothers,” Nyjah says. “And you know, whatever comes to us, comes to us.”
So far, they’ve enjoyed their share of opportunities to showcase their talent. The brothers won a People’s Choice award at last year’s Mana Up Showcase, and later got to perform with the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra at Hawaiʻi Theatre.
This year, they were recognized by the Honolulu City Council.
The duo has also performed at the first annual Ke Nui Fest on the North Shore, Ko Olina Children’s Festival, The ʻEwa Carnival at Wai Kai and Hawaiʻi’s Finest 16th anniversary festival at Neal S. Blaisdell Center. They even shared the stage with reggae rock-pop band Common Kings.
One of the most memorable performances for Nyjah was when a random street performer filled in for one of the brothers’ drummers. Nyjah says he was just vibing with the music, when out of nowhere, he heard conga drums playing. The spontaneity made the performance more fun for all.
For Zyah, the performance that stands out was the one where the crowd went crazy for their cover of a song by “one of the reggae kings,” the late Fiji, also known as George Veikoso.
“It’s where I find my happiness,” Zyah says about performing live. “Usually the first … few songs on stage, I’m pretty nervous.”
“But then you gotta feel the crowd,” Nyjah adds, explaining the importance of being able to read the audience and tailor the performance accordingly.
Besides singing and playing the ʻukulele, the brothers also play piano — as seen in their videos on Instagram. Nyjah is learning to play guitar, too.
They also have a lot of involvement in the creative process. Nyjah works with the writers in the studio and helps produce songs.
When asked about where they get inspiration, they say it’s mostly life — but also girls. That’s clear from lyrics such as, “Can we try to hold on to each other? But the seasons change and the summer fades, I hope this love will stay” from Summer Love, or “When you realize you deserve more, when you’re ready my heart is yours” from My Heart is Yours — which is Zyah’s preferred song to perform live.
But his favorite thing about music is the way it moves people.
His brother, on the other hand, says, “I love getting into the feeling of just dancing while singing, because it makes you feel good and it makes the crowd feel good.”
Since they’re still young, Nyjah and Zyah are just looking to “go with the flow” and continuing to have fun making music.
Both hint at new music dropping early next year.
As Zyah says with a laugh, “More music, more shows, more ‘Music and Rhythm!’”
Their message to other youth hoping to break into the music scene is simple: “Don’t let other people tell you what to do. Do what you love. And do what your heart desires.”
Being homeschooled has opened up more opportunities for the brothers to pursue music, but beyond the stage, they both like to be outdoors. Zyah enjoys fishing, surfing and diving. Nyjah likes to play golf and go skating.
The brothers express appreciation for their family and all those who have supported them in their journey so far.
“We’re so blessed to have such talented people in our family,” Zyah says, “But our talent is our own and the world will see it.”
Follow @music_and_rhythm on Instagram for updates.
