Hawaiian surfer Makua Rothman has topped the Billboard Reggae Album chart with his debut album Sound Wave. The 12-song set of Hawaiian pop-reggae has already topped the iTunes World Music charts.
Makua, 29, is known for his achievements in surfing, but as much as he gets a rush riding monstrous waves, making music is also a thrill.
“As long as I can remember I’ve always played music and sang,” he said. “I make music for me, and the fact that people are supporting that is amazing.”
Due to his surfing career, Makua was not able to record seriously until 2012 when he released the EP Makanale Road. Sound Wave has been out since early December. Its lead single, Lovely, peaked at number four on Billboard’s Digital Reggae Singles chart.