Hailing from the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Makua Rothman is a WSL World Tour Big Wave Champion and musician. Alongside multi time Diamond and Platinum artist, producer and writer Jimmy Messer, they have achieved great success with their distinct blend of reggae, rock, rap, and soul, appealing to an international audience. During the Volcom Pipe Pro in 2023 on the infamous north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Rothman suffered a horrifying wipeout that resulted in a severe knee injury, requiring surgery and extensive rehabilitation. Forced to reassess his career path and consider alternative avenues to express his creativity, Makua reflected “What was I gonna do? Give up? Run and hide? Or use this adversity as a blessing and an opportunity to grow?” During his recovery period, he turned to his second passion—music. Growing up in a family with a rich musical heritage, he had always carried a love for music and was greatly influenced by his family and the gifted musicians of the North Shore. Coming from a lineage of talented musicians, including his uncle Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, Rothman was exposed to the power of sound from an early age. Enter Jimmy Messer. Multi diamond and platinum selling musician, writer, composer and producer, Jimmy Messer has a long standing successful career, writing, producing and composing original music for famous artists like Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson, AWOLNation, Kygo among many others. His music has been used in large TV ad campaigns for BMW, Wix.com during the Super Bowl. In addition, Jimmy, a multi instrumentalist has composed original themes songs for companies like Apple+, NBC, VH1, among others. A match made in heaven with a shared passion for both music and surfing, the pair have headlined intimate gigs and supported artists on global tours such as AWOLnation, Sublime, Matisyahu, Slightly Stoopid, Steel Pulse and more. October 2024, Makua and his band opened Eddie Vedder’s annual, Ohana Festival 2024, where Vedder introduced Makua and graced the stage to play a song together. The response was overwhelming. Thus far in 2025, Wiz Khalifa joined Makua on the bands “Clear the Air” track and music video, followed by a 30 show North American tour with AWOLnation that included an international leg with stops in 8 different countries. Following the tour, the band made an appearance at Bottle Rock Napa Valley and is booked for a triumphant return at Ohana Festival 2025