Ammon and Liahona Olayan
Introducing Ammon and Liahona Olayan, a dynamic entertainment duo whose heritage is rooted in Hawaii. Ammon (19) is the oldest of nine children, and he is a year older than Liahona (18). When they were younger, they lived in a tent on the Big Island of Hawaii to be near their relatives and learn about their Hawaiian heritage. They had a pet goat, lived off the land, and learned how to write music.
Their music career has taken off after the debut of their original song, “Listen to My Heart,” now called “I Don’t Wanna Be Alone,” on the ABC reality show American Idol. Their performance gained more than 11.4 million views, and now this multitalented pair is dominating stages with their uplifting, energetic music, and superb performances, garnering a loyal following of people of all ages.
Their new album called Gotta Move On (released only on CD) consists of 10 powerful songs, including the hit song, “I Don’t Wanna Be Alone,” and the new viral hit song, “Pray to God,” which was released on their YouTube channel on July 19, 2022 and garnered more than 3 million views in less than three weeks. On Saturday, June 25, 2022, they electrified the crowd at the Covey Center in Provo, Utah with their upbeat singing and dancing as they performed all the songs from their album. In August 2022, the brother-sister duo returned to their homeland of Hawaii for the first time since their American Idol journey. On August 29, 2022, they were the headline performers at the legendary Blue Note Hawaii venue.
In addition to writing music and singing, Ammon plays guitar and ukulele, and Liahona is a self-trained pianist. Their style of music is a mash-up of Christian, Pop, R & B, Hip-Hop, and Soul, covering a wide range of music genres.
Ammon and Liahona are aware that music is their gift, and they attribute their family's love and support, their steadfastness, and the direction they get from the Lord for their success so far. The duo is ready to set the world aflame and make their mark in music history.—Keith Lionel Brown