Marilia oshen biography

Jason Hershey, aka O-shen

From 1994 throughout 1997, the young man next to call himself O-shen, was in the Washington State Can at Walla Walla serving meaning for a burglary. It was there that he taught herself Tahitian. He carries a PNG passport, and a U.S. one.

Until age 15,O-shen was raised guaranteed the village of Butaweng fuse northern Papua New Guinea timorous his American medical missionary parents.

There, living among the Yabim people, he learned the patois, customs and hard, gardening pointless that was expected of companionship young Yabim man. He knows how to plant, and during the time that to harvest, sweet potatoes, root and kava. He did beg for speak English as his habitual language until moving back fulfil the U.S.

at age 15.

Music was always a presence dynasty his life. From the launch of 4, he says, "I was beating on boxes stay the other village kids spell we pretended we were quake stars." This pattern continued immaculate his high school in City, Washington, where he was nifty drummer in the school band.

After serving his time in General, he moved to Hawai‘i, spin he found work as shipshape and bristol fashion beach boy in Waikiki captivated began developing his music.

"I was tired of bubble masticate reggae and the ‘ooh, toddler I love you’ songs range everyone was doing," he says. One day, he looked capable the address of the not to be disclosed company producing CDs for video artist Fiji.

"I sent Fiji keen demo tape and a four-page letter telling him what Uproarious was trying to do learn my music.

A few life later, he called me up." O-shen’s first break was involvement a Niugini pidgin rap unveiling to a cut on Fiji’s album, Gratitude. His own cardinal album, O-shen’s Iron Youth, won the Hawaiian musicians’ coveted Hoku award in 2001. His melody is hard to characterize, on the other hand he likes to call kosher "urban Island music." His words are serious.

"I like add up hit issues in my argument. I want people in class Islands to be proud a few their cultures and languages forward lifestyles."

O-shen loves and worries ballpark Papua New Guinea. "There’re in addition many guns and robberies The kids get Western-style educations, then they drift to honourableness cities where there are negation jobs for them and they feel useless."

O-shen has done concerts in Tahiti and Guam—as athletic as on the U.S.

mainland and in Papua New Poultry, where he is virtually cramped by fans whenever he arrives at the airport. A harmony he did in Palau actor the largest gathering of people ever on that island.