Tempa

The girl who could sing

“Stop the car!”

Tempa was just four years old, sitting in the back seat with her grandmother and grandfather, singing along to a song on the radio.

Her grandmother turned to her grandfather, astonished by the little voice coming from the back seat.

“The girl can really sing.”

It's a memory Tempa has carried with her throughout her life. Long before recording studios, concert stages, albums and awards, there was simply a little girl who loved to sing.

Born in Florida, Tempa spent her first five years growing up with her grandparents in West Virginia, surrounded by the sounds of bluegrass, country, gospel, Cajun, zydeco and folk music.

Her uncle was a professional musician who toured with legendary bluegrass artist Ralph Stanley. He would sometimes bring young Tempa into recording studios, where she could soak up the sounds of instruments, voices and musicians making something together.

Music wasn't something separate from everyday life. It was all around her.

Those early experiences planted the seeds of a musical identity that would eventually stretch far beyond the traditions she first encountered.

A childhood of music, nature and imagination

At five, Tempa returned to Florida to live with her mother and stepfather.

Her childhood was unconventional. Growing up in a bus without electricity in a small coastal Florida community, she was the eldest of five children.

There was beauty in that life, but there were also considerable challenges. Her family experienced poverty, and the practical difficulties of everyday living were very real.

Yet Tempa remembers the freedom of being surrounded by nature.

The woods became one of her favorite places. She would wander into the forest and practice singing songs she loved, letting her voice carry through the trees.

Music offered a place to explore feelings, imagination and possibilities.

At school, she discovered that she could remember things more easily when she turned them into songs. Rather than simply memorizing words from a page, she would give them melody and rhythm.

At seven, she won a Bible verse competition by setting the assigned text to music and singing it. Her performance led to an invitation to a local radio station, where she sang her winning piece on the air.

Looking back, that little girl was already doing something that would become central to her creative life: finding music within words.

Poetry, storytelling and melody would eventually grow into different expressions of the same artistic voice.

Finding her voice in the blues

As Tempa grew older, music became an increasingly important part of her life.

She developed a love for the emotional honesty of blues, the expressive power of soul, and the storytelling traditions of American roots music.

Her professional career grew through years of singing with different musicians and bands, gradually developing a stage presence and vocal identity distinctly her own.

Eventually, Tempa wanted to create a musical project that could explore all those influences without being confined to one style.

In Colorado, she founded Tempa & The Tantrums, a band that became a defining chapter of her career.

Drawing from blues, soul, jazz, funk, zydeco, rock and Americana, the Tantrums built a reputation for energetic live performances, musical versatility and Tempa's unmistakable voice.

The band performed extensively, released original recordings and developed a following across Colorado and beyond.

Throughout her performing career, Tempa has shared stages and concert lineups with artists including B.B. King, Mavis Staples, Koko Taylor, Tab Benoit, Jimmy Thackery, Bernard Allison, Luther Allison, Lonnie Brooks and Jeff Beck, among others.

Her musical journey has taken her from the legendary stage at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado to performances near the Sea of Galilee in Israel.

In 2006, Tempa & The Tantrums won the Blues category at the Westword Music Showcase Awards, following years of recognition within Colorado's music community.

The band received five Westword Music Showcase nominations during its Colorado history.

Their album Voodoo & Angels also received a Blues Album of the Year honor attributed to Hapi Scratch Records in 2007.

And in 2009, the Tantrums performed at Red Rocks during a celebration of Woodstock's 40th anniversary.

The Tantrums Jam — creating a musical home

Some of Tempa's most meaningful work happened not just in front of an audience, but in bringing musicians together.

In Colorado, she founded and hosted a weekly blues jam, with Tempa & The Tantrums serving as the house band.

The sessions became known locally as the Tempa Jam or Tantrums Jam.

Musicians of different ages, backgrounds and levels of experience came together to play, collaborate, learn and share their love of music.

In 2007, the jam received Westword's Best All-Comers Jam recognition.

For Tempa, it was about much more than building a successful band or performing another show. It was about creating a place where musicians belonged.

And in 2007, at a little Colorado venue called Cricket on the Hill, that musical community brought someone unexpected into her life.

A guitarist named Naor Nave walked through the door.

Their musical connection became a friendship, then a love story, and eventually a creative partnership that would take both of them in new directions.

A new musical world on Maui

In 2012, Tempa and Naor made Maui their home.

That same year, they founded Soul Kitchen Maui.

What began as a trio gradually grew through several musical configurations. As different musicians joined, the sound expanded, eventually becoming the vibrant big-band experience known today.

Inspired by the spirit of New Orleans, Soul Kitchen brought together blues, soul, zydeco, Cajun music, funk, jazz and roots traditions.

With horns, rhythm, accordion and a rotating circle of musical collaborators, the band became another expression of Tempa's love for music that brings people together.

Soul Kitchen performed across Maui, including appearances at Mulligans on the Blue, Charley's, Casanova and Fleetwood's on Front Street and other island venues.

In 2017, Soul Kitchen was voted Best Band on Maui in MauiTime's readers' poll.

The band later released Live At Charley's, capturing the musical energy and collaborative spirit of its performances.

For Tempa, Soul Kitchen carried forward something that had begun years earlier with the Tantrums Jam: the joy of creating musical community.

Meanwhile, Tempa & The Tantrums found a new incarnation on Maui, with fresh collaborators continuing the band's blues and soul tradition.

Poetry, songwriting and the stories behind the songs

Although Tempa is known for her powerful voice and commanding stage presence, another side of her creative life is quieter and more introspective.

She is a poet.

Words have been part of her relationship with music since childhood, when she discovered that turning language into melody helped her understand and remember it.

As an adult, poetry has become one of the places where she explores life, relationships, love, memory, change and the complicated emotions that come with being human.

Some poems become songs. Others remain poems, their own complete expressions.

Her collaboration with Naor brings together two distinct creative instincts.

Tempa often begins with words, emotion, melody and story. Naor builds musical landscapes through guitars, ukulele, looping, voice and arrangement.

Sometimes a lyric suggests a chord progression. Sometimes a musical idea opens the door to a story.

The result is a partnership in which songs are allowed to find their own shape.

Finding a way through life's difficult chapters

Tempa's connection to music has also been shaped by profoundly personal experiences.

At 21, she was diagnosed with lupus, beginning a lifelong relationship with chronic illness and periods of physical pain.

Living with those challenges has required resilience, adaptation and an ongoing search for balance.

For Tempa, music became one way to process the emotional weight of those experiences and maintain a sense of connection to herself and the world around her.

Another deeply personal chapter was the loss of her son Sethan in 2002.

That grief has remained part of her life, and some of it has found expression through her writing.

Songs including Remember, from Ember's Fire, and You carry parts of that emotional landscape.

Music has never erased the difficult experiences. But writing, singing and poetry have given Tempa ways to express feelings that may otherwise be difficult to put into words.

Her songs aren't only about sorrow or struggle. They are equally about love, humor, possibility, relationships, hope and the extraordinary ordinary moments that make up a life.

Her perspective as an artist comes from all of it.

Ember's Fire, MoonFall and Music Medicine

Together, Tempa and Naor have continued creating original music under their own names.

Their 2018 album Ember's Fire explored themes of love, transformation, reflection and release.

The recording received critical attention, including reviews in The Maui News and Chris K's Colorado Playlist.

Their 2024 album MoonFall continued their evolution as songwriters and recording artists, blending intimate storytelling with arrangements shaped by blues, soul, folk, Americana and other musical influences.

Their performances have evolved alongside the recordings.

Through Music Medicine Sessions, they have brought their songs and stories into listening rooms and theater settings, including sold-out appearances at ProArts Playhouse and recurring Maui performances.

In 2025, Tempa and Naor participated in the Maui Songwriters Festival and appeared as special guests ahead of Ella Langley's sold-out Fourth of July performance at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua.

Their musical world has also expanded through projects such as Strings & Soul, where Tempa's voice and songwriting meet the expressive possibilities of a live string ensemble.

Creativity beyond the stage

Tempa's creativity has never been limited to music.

An accomplished chocolatier, baker and cook, she has spent years exploring another kind of artistry through food.

Before moving to Maui, Tempa began making her own artisan chocolates at home. Together, Tempa and Naor created Love & Light Chocolate, a chocolate delivery business that brought her handmade creations directly to customers.

Together, they have also brought their love of food and hospitality into Mediterranean food pop-ups, sharing another part of their cultural and creative world.

For Tempa, there is a familiar connection between preparing food and making music. Both involve imagination, patience, a willingness to experiment and the pleasure of creating something that brings people together.

Today, that creative spirit continues through baking, cooking and the evolving vision for Soul Kitchen Farm Stand, another expression of the welcoming, community-minded world she and Naor are building through Music Medicine.

Still writing, still discovering

After decades of performances, recordings, musical collaborations and creative adventures, Tempa continues to explore what music can become.

She remains a singer, songwriter, poet, performer and someone who finds genuine joy in bringing musicians and audiences together.

There is still something of that little girl who loved disappearing into the woods to sing.

The stages are different now. The songs have grown. The life behind them has become richer, more complicated and filled with experiences she could never have imagined.

But the impulse remains the same.

To sing. To write. To feel. To connect.

And to share a little Music Medicine along the way.

Career Achievements & Highlights

Awards and recognition

• 2006: Tempa & The Tantrums — Westword Music Showcase, Blues category winner.
• Five Westword Music Showcase nominations during the band's Colorado history.
• 2007: Tantrums Jam — Westword Best All-Comers Jam recognition.
• 2007: Voodoo & Angels — Blues Album of the Year honor attributed to Hapi Scratch Records.
• 2017: Soul Kitchen Maui — MauiTime readers' Best Band on Maui.
• 2026: Tempa & Naor - MauiTime readers' Best Band on Maui nomination.

Notable performances and collaborations

• Performances on concert stages or lineups featuring B.B. King, Mavis Staples, Koko Taylor, Tab Benoit, Jimmy Thackery, Bernard Allison, Luther Allison, Lonnie Brooks and Jeff Beck.
• Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Colorado, including the 2009 Woodstock anniversary celebration.
• United States festival and concert appearances.
• Israel performances and touring, including the Sea of Galilee region.
• Maui venues: Mulligans on the Blue, Maui Arts & Cultural Center, ProArts Playhouse, Fleetwood's on Front Street, Charley's, Casanova and many others.
• Maui community events: Wailuku First Friday, Lahaina Second Friday, Makawao Third Friday and Kihei Fourth Friday.
• Featured participation in the 2025 Maui Songwriters Festival.
• 2025 special guest appearance ahead of Ella Langley at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua.
• Maui songwriter showcases and collaborative performances.

Bands and projects

• Founder and lead vocalist — Tempa & The Tantrums.
• Founder and longtime host — Tantrums Jam, Colorado.
• Founder with Naor Nave — Soul Kitchen Maui, established in 2012 as a trio and developed through multiple configurations into a big band.
• Singer-songwriter and performer — Tempa & Naor.
• Featured artist and vocalist — Strings & Soul.
• Producer and creative collaborator — Hamsah, contributing to the development and presentation of the musical experience.
• Creative partner — Music Medicine Productions.

Recordings and songwriting

• Three Tempa & The Tantrums album releases, including Voodoo & Angels.
• Recorded I'm a Woman with Israeli blues guitarist Ori Naftaly for his Oldschool Chicago Blues & Soul project.
• Soul Kitchen Maui — Live At Charley's.
• Tempa & Naor — Ember's Fire (2018).
• Tempa & Naor — MoonFall (2024).
• Songwriter and lyricist whose work includes Remember, Sour Mash, Burn the Page, MoonFall and other original compositions.
• Poetry and spoken-word work developed alongside her musical career.

Culinary & Creative Ventures

• Co-founder with Naor Nave — Love & Light Chocolate, a handcrafted chocolate delivery business established before their move to Maui.
• Experienced chocolatier, baker and cook, with a longstanding interest in creative food preparation and hospitality.
• Co-creator of Mediterranean food pop-up experiences.
• Creative contributor to the evolving vision for Soul Kitchen Farm Stand, connecting handmade food, hospitality and community.