MUSE • Musicians United for Social Equity

Biography

Josias Ka’upu-Fronda, better known as Pili, is a professional musician who was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i, and is of Hawaiian descent. Playing music nationally and internationally, he has been long recognized as a great team player and a passionate artist that constantly strives for excellence. He began drumming before the age of 10 and went on to gain many of the drum seats that his high school and the local music community had to offer, constantly learning from some of the best musical minds not only on the island but in the music industry itself. He soon received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award and was the 2019 representative for the Kamehameha Schools. Pili has been seen with many locally and globally known artists including Keilana (R&B/Soul), Cory Oliveros (Solo/Independent), Imua Garza (Kimie Miner/Opihi Pickers/Independent), Christian Yrizarry (of Ho’onu’a) Bryan Duncan, Tommy Walker and Jody McBrayer (of Avalon).  He was also the conductor to the 400 students of the Class of 2020 for the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest, keeping the title for all four years during his high school education. In the 2021-2022 academic term, Pili was an Associate Conductor for the Thundering Heard Pep Band, Band Assistant for the Grand Canyon University Instrumental Music Programs (Pep Band, Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, etc.) and a Conductor for GCU’s Samba Ensemble. As of 2022, Pili plays regularly with Samba De Cavalo (a professional Samba Ensemble) as well as a multitude of other artists and groups on both the East and West Coast of the United States (including Los Angeles, Nevada, Phoenix, Missouri, and Hawai’i).  Pili is currently a Junior at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona and plays a plethora of gigs as a live percussionist and drummer while also working as a session drummer and producer. In 2022, Pili played for the reading of the musical, Blackout, at the NAMT festival at New World Stages in New York City.

Pili will be joining the 1st National Tour of ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ – starting in September of 2023.