NEWSTODAYWORLD series about the careers, music and personal stories of our biggest music icons, exclusively in Zeitblatt Magazine – your favorite cultural news publication.

For the 4th of July 2023 we start off with Hawaiis brightest Star Cecilia Mona Joy Lum, professionally known as one of The Songbirds of Waikiki, Mona Joy. She is in her 90’ies, she sings at Hawaiis iconic Halekulani as a guest star, she won the biggest music Award and most important she has many more plans being full of life and joy.

This lovely lady graced the stages of the best beachside hotels, such as the Niumalu Hotel, The Queens Surf, Moana Surfrider, The Royal Hawaiian and The Halekulani all her career. Mona Joy traveled the world with her voice.

New York Legend. She was the original The Lex Girl of the Lex Girls, having a contract at The Lexington Hotel in The Hawaiian Room in Manhattan. Elton John is one of her admirers and has been spotted listening with loving ears to her angelic Hawaiian Tunes.

She made many recordings that are now the true hard to find collectors classics and very hard to find as they are kept as treasures by music collectors. If you are lucky, you will hear Mona Joy sing at the request of many musicians who love and respect her as well as credit their success because of her inspiration. Mona Joy’s trademark song were The Hawaiian Wedding Song and Akaka Falls.

Music and Hawaiian Royalty. Recognized later in life for all her accomplishments: Kalani Ali’i Award for longest member in Hale O Na Ali’i, a royal society that her mother and sister were members of as well, along with new members, her daughter and grand-daughter.

Merrie Monarch. In April 2022, Mona Joy was invited to The Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo to sing on Ho’Ike night. This was something she had always dreamed of doing, and it came true.

Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award. In December of 2022, at The Royal Hawaiian Monarch Room, where Mona Joy sang on so many decades previous, she was honored as one of Hawai’i’s recording industry legends, therefore receiving The Na Hoku Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaiian Academy of Recording Arts.

2023 Projects. Mona is working on new music to be released on the multimedia platforms of Apple, Google Play Music and Amazon the three largest platforms in conjunction with I-Heart. In discussion is even a Mona Joy day, so stay tuned as we will follow up with Mona and her family and report in our legends of music series.

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