Ukulele: The Next Generation—Feng E, Tyler Donkoh-Halm, Sho Humphries, Jiggy with Viggy, and Andrew Hoyt are Boldly Going Where No Uke Has Gone Before
BY NICOLAS GRIZZLE | FROM THE SUMMER 2025 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE
Ukulele may not be the final frontier, but it certainly is an exciting vessel for exploring the vast expanses of the musical universe. Here we profile five rising stars, from wunderkind ensigns performing far beyond their age to dedicated young officers with a strong commitment to their chosen instrument. Each is pushing the boundaries of ukulele in performance, songwriting, and teaching with their innovative styles and excellent grasp of technology.
Feng E, Tyler Donkoh-Halm, Sho Humphries, Victoria Kolasinski, and Andrew Hoyt were each kind enough to take time to tell us about their music, their history with ukulele, and where they’re going next.
At 17, Feng E is already a virtuoso player who writes his own arrangements of popular songs. Based in Taiwan, he completed his first U.S. tour in 2024, which also saw a stop playing the National Anthem at an Oakland A’s home game. He burst onto the scene seven years ago as a 10-year-old, when he wowed the judges on the TV show Asia’s Got Talent.
Donkoh-Halm and Humphries, both in their early 20s, are frequent collaborators, and are both on track to graduate from Berklee College of Music this year. They’re both songwriters, but their styles are quite different. Donkoh-Halm’s tunes lean more toward jazz and neo-soul, with his smooth, dynamic voice floating atop silky chords and catchy riffs. Humphries, who hails from Austin, Texas, has more of a rock edge to their playing, and makes the uke feel like a bigger instrument with the intensity of their strumming.
Kolasinski, who is also known by her stage name and social media handle Jiggy with Viggy, is an expert in crafting chord-melody versions of songs both modern and classic. She’s incredibly prolific on social media—no surprise for a 25-year-old—but also travels the ukulele festival circuit and teaches online lessons. The lifetime Long Islander has a knack for collaborations and is excited for an as-yet-unannounced covers album with a well-known artist.
Hoyt is the elder statesman of the bunch at age 30 (thanks for ruining our “under-30” headline, Andrew). He’s been making a career of ukulele for a while now with his soulful pop stylings and, after opening for major pop act AJR at a sold-out Wells Fargo Arena last year in his home state of Iowa, has taken a big stride this year recording his latest album in Nashville with a top producer and ace session musicians.
These are the voyages of the . . . well, you get the picture. Enough with the trek through space, here are our stars. Engage!
Feng E | 17 | Taipei, Taiwan
What originally drew you to ukulele?
When I was a kid, my fingers weren’t very flexible, so my dad wanted me to learn an instrument to train my fingers. At first it was just for finger exercises, but I gradually became more and more interested, and it eventually became my main instrument.
How did you learn ukulele?
I mostly taught myself by listening
to music, watching videos, and trying to play what I heard. Over time, I started incorporating techniques from other instruments, like fingerstyle percussive techniques from acoustic guitar and bends from electric guitar. That helped me develop my own unique playing style.
Tell me about your latest musical project.
Lately, I’ve been experimenting with math rock on the ukulele, trying to create new and unique sounds. At the same time, I’m also working on the arrangements for my new album. It’s exciting because I want to push the sonic possibilities of the ukulele and take it to new levels.
Were there any particularly memorable moments from your recent U.S. tour?
The U.S. has such a well-developed music industry. There are incredible performers everywhere, fun music stores, and the audiences are highly knowledgeable and engaged. One thing that really impressed me was how deeply the audience connected with the performance—they notice both technical details and emotional expression, which makes performing there really enjoyable.
What ukes do you play?
For live performances, I use my Feng E Signature Model that I designed with Enya. It has a koa top, maple back, sides, and neck, and a thin-body design, which works well with effects pedals and is great for live shows. For recording, I prefer my custom koa Kanile’a super tenor. It has more tension than a regular tenor, resulting in a fuller sound, and is the most resonant uke I’ve ever played.
How do you innovate with ukulele?
I like to experiment with math rock–inspired time signature changes and complex rhythms. I also focus heavily on right-hand tone control and left-hand bending and vibrato techniques, pushing the ukulele’s expressive capabilities beyond conventional expectations. However, regardless of technical innovations, my arrangements always prioritize musicality and emotional depth above all else, ensuring that every piece resonates with listeners on a deeper level.
What’s your daily practice routine?
I usually do scale runs, finger exercises, and modal scales on the guitar first. On the ukulele, I focus more on refining my performance pieces and working on the dynamics and articulation of my playing.
Do you teach ukulele?
Yes, I have a few students. I mainly teach them my own arrangements. My focus is on helping them understand the thought process behind the arrangement rather than just playing the notes. I want them to really grasp the meaning of their hand movements instead of just mechanically following the tablature.
Do you play any other instruments?
I play piano, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar. I’m also learning synthesizers and music production.
What keeps you coming back to ukulele?
The ukulele is such a versatile instrument. Even though it’s small, there’s so much you can do with it. I love pushing its boundaries and finding new ways to use it in different styles of music. Every time I explore a new technique or sound, it makes me even more excited to keep playing.
Feng’s Website | Instagram | Facebook | | YouTube
Releases Where Are the Socks? (2018) | “Blue Beer Sea” (Single with Taiwanese singer JiaJia) | Rock Uke (2024) | Other film scoring projects
Tyler Donkoh-Halm | 21 | Lowell, Massachusetts
What originally drew you to ukulele?
I started playing in seventh grade. When I heard we were learning ukulele in school, I was so ecstatic that I went and bought my own $20 yellow Mahalo ukulele so I could practice at home.
How did you learn ukulele?
Besides what I learned in class, I am pretty much self-taught. I learned mostly by looking up tabs from video games or television shows I loved as a kid, and eventually there came a point where I discovered I have perfect pitch and began learning all of my music by ear.
What type of music do you play now?
The ukulele is such a versatile instrument that it’s so hard to pick just one. But especially since I have been studying uke at Berklee College of Music, jazz and other jazz-inspired genres like neo-soul, R&B, and funk have all been flowing through my veins. I recently also have gotten into playing more traditional West African and American folk styles.
Tell us about your latest musical project.
My upcoming album fuses elements of folk, jazz, and R&B while heavily featuring the ukulele, and centralizes around love, family, trauma, mental health, heartbreak, and other topics that are really personal. With this album I want to be vulnerable and allow the listener to connect with me on these feelings. I feel like a lot of times we use music as a way to escape from our problems, but I think bonding over tough issues through music is just as beautiful.
What’s something you do differently on ukulele?
What I want to do is deliver the best of both worlds of playing and singing to give the listener a package deal with both catchy melodies and virtuosic riffs. I think a song of mine that demonstrates this idea is my song “IRL,” which blends percussive playing, flashy riffs, and jazz harmony with a nice floating melody on top that will have you singing along.
Do you have a favorite uke?
Choosing a favorite uke is like choosing a favorite parent! That’s such a tough question, but lately I have been loving playing my Coast ukuleles (I have three) and my Oli mango tenor. My go-to gigging uke is my custom Coast (#67), which is a super tenor, and the Oli mango tenor is my go-to for acoustic recording.
What’s your daily ukulele practice routine?
Advertisement
While I am mainly a ukulele player, I also play bass (electric and upright), drum set, guitar, mandolin, piano, and many other instruments, so it’s hard to do all
of them every day. But for uke specifically, I spend the bulk of my time practicing improvisation over backing tracks or creating chord melodies with advanced jazz harmony.
What is something you focus on with your students?
My number one goal when I’m teaching is ensuring that the student is comfortable in how they are playing. I have tendinitis from overplaying with poor technique, and I think safety is the number one priority in learning a new instrument.
What are you working on currently, technique-wise?
Improv, improv, improv! This is probably the thing that I do the most on uke, and yet the thing I always feel like I need to work on the most. I think this is common in the jazz world.
What keeps you coming back to ukulele?
Sometimes I feel like I express myself better on uke than I do with words. The ukulele is linked with my soul, and even though I have bridged into many different instruments, I am always thinking like I am playing a uke.
Releases Drive (2022, EP) | Album of original music coming this year
Sho Humphries | 22 | Austin, Texas
What’s your ukulele origin story?
I grew up around the ukulele and Hawaiian music since my parents studied, and met, at the University of Hawaii. While I originally started on the guitar, once I saw Jake Shimabukuro’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” cover on YouTube, I was hooked on the raw power of the four strings.
What type of music do you play?
I’ve always loved to rock out. I’m from the hometown of (guitarists) Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson, and grew up around a lot of punk rock and blues. Lately, though, I’ve really fallen in love with pop and singer-songwriter styles. There’s something about well-crafted, catchy hooks that scratch an itch in my brain, and the ukulele is an amazing tool for delivering them.
Tell me about your latest musical project.
My last release was four years ago, right after graduating high school into a world utterly transformed by Covid-19. It was a response to a dark time, and was my first time writing lyrics and singing. Now, I’m about to graduate from the Berklee College of Music with a degree in songwriting. I have been working on my next release, “Sagami-ono,” for the last two years. It shares a piece of my story as a Japanese American visiting my other home. The title is named after the neighborhood my family is from.
How do you innovate with ukulele?
I approach the ukulele not as a singular instrument, but as a whole band I control with my fingers. I’ll usually start with, what would a drummer play here? If the answer is a big groove, then I’ll probably do a busier strum with muted chucks where the snare would be. If I need “the bass player” to come in, I might play the section before higher up the neck, then shift down to open chords for the fullest sound. Even when playing in a band with other instruments, I often find myself switching on ukulele between being a percussionist, a keyboard player, a string section, etc.
Do you have a favorite uke?
I have recently fallen in love with the Cynthia Lin Performance Model from Ohana. It’s a sturdy concert with a pickup, built-in tuner and EQ, cutaway, and a really nice sound. It’s truly my go-to workhorse.
What’s your daily practice routine?
Rather than having a rigid routine or grinding out techniques, I try to approach the ukulele as something to be kept within arm’s reach at all times. If I need a break or am feeling inspired, I can pick it up and put it down as needed throughout the day. I always start by playing wherever my fingers feel like going, even if just for a few seconds.
What is something you specialize in with your students?
I love giving workshops at ukulele festivals and other meetups. My favorite workshop is “Five Levels of the Island Strum.” The idea is that from one basic strumming pattern you can extrapolate to multiple levels of complexity, which you can then assign to different sections of a song. This is a concept I use constantly, and it creates the dynamics that I’m most proud of in my playing.
What keeps you coming back to ukulele?
The ukulele is so ridiculously expressive I could never not play it. You can just let yourself go and directly create music straight from the heart to the strings in a way that a bulkier instrument can never quite achieve. Plus, if I don’t play the ukulele for long enough, I start to feel restless, perhaps even a bit incomplete. How could I not come back?
shohumphries.com | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok
Releases Making Summer Memories (2017) | Dream Again (2021, EP) |“Sagami-ono” (releasing latter half of 2025)
Victoria Kolasinski aka Jiggy with Viggy25 | Long Island, New York
What’s your ukulele origin story?
The year was 2014 and I was a freshman in high school when I first got jiggy with the ukulele. A friend of mine introduced me to the band 21 Pilots, which really sparked my interest in the instrument.
How did you learn ukulele?
I discovered my band teacher played the ukulele, so I started going down to the band room every lunch period to learn the instrument with him. He opened my eyes to the world of fingerstyle uke through Jake Shimabukuro and James Hill. I found my way back to the uke during the pandemic and started doing loop-pedal covers on social media, which led to my explorations into chord-melody.
What type of music do you play?
I play mostly fingerstyle and chord-melody. James Hill’s version of “Billie Jean” blew my mind in high school, and Jake’s version of “Eleanor Rigby” sparked my interest as a lifelong Beatles fan, so that was the style I knew I wanted to lean toward and create my own style within.
Tell us about your latest musical project.
I’m currently working on a cover album with an artist who I grew up listening to, which is insane to say aloud, but I can’t say much more about it yet. We connected via Instagram and have been putting together some awesome interpretations of songs that are completely “uke’d up.”
How do you innovate with ukulele?
I like to think I have a “Gen-Z” approach to teaching and playing the ukulele. I want all my video tutorials and covers to feel like a FaceTime call between me and the viewer, so I keep it loose and friendly while being informative and educational. I like incorporating things like percussive ukulele strums, fingerpicking patterns, and other ways to add more song elements other than just a basic strum pattern.
What ukes do you play?
My main axe is my Mya-Moe Concert Classic with a red cedar top and sycamore back/sides. I got it last year and I feel like it really elevates my playing. My baritone of choice is the Flight Fireball, it’s a big booming beauty with great resonance.
What’s your daily practice routine?
If I only have a few moments to play for myself, I’ll play something that I know just to get the juices flowing. If I have time, I’ll dive into a new piece, hone my ear with transcribing, or build up finger dexterity with fretboard exercises. The balance of learning new things and refining old things ensures progress while keeping things nice and fun.
What is something you specialize in with your students?
I teach ukulele in a few different forms, including videos for social media, Zoom lessons, my Patreon community, and live workshops and festivals. One through-line is the human element of learning something new and embracing the mistakes that come along the way. When I record videos, I leave in as many silly goofs or little “blips” as I can. Sometimes I call a chord shape by the wrong name, sometimes I mess up the strum pattern I literally just demonstrated, sometimes
I burp, or my cat jumps into the frame, but it makes the process more human in such a highly edited digital age.
Advertisement
What keeps you coming back to ukulele?
For an instrument with a two-octave range, there’s so much to discover. Even after ten years of playing and four years of teaching, I’m learning something new about myself every day, improving my work ethic and my craft through music.
jiggywithviggy.com | Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Facebook
Releases: Collaborative album of covers coming later this year
Andrew Hoyt | 30 | Chicago via Des Moines, Iowa
What’s your ukulele origin story?
During a middle school trip to the Bahamas with my Boy Scout troop, I spent two weeks sailing with my friends. Before heading home, I picked up a $20 ukulele at Ron Jon Surf Shop. Five years later, a friend showed me their ukulele, and I suddenly remembered the one I had tucked away in my closet. I dug it out, taped the tuning pegs to keep the strings in tune, and started playing three hours a day, every day, for the next five years. That little uke sparked a passion that shaped my songwriting and musicianship.
How did you learn ukulele?
I learned from Ukulele Mike on YouTube; his lessons were a game-changer for me. He has a way of blending easy and intermediate chords with various strumming patterns, making it easier to memorize multiple chords and songs at once.
Tell me about your latest musical project.
My new EP dropped on April 25. Produced by Lucas Morton and joined by an incredible team of musicians at Skinny Elephant in Nashville, this project means the world to me. To celebrate, I’m headlining a hometown show in Des Moines.
What ukes do you play?
I play a KoAloha 25th Anniversary koa tenor and a KoAloha custom, which has quickly become my favorite go-to. I use Uke Logic soft tension strings, with a Thomastik-Infeld for my low G.
What are you working on currently, technique-wise?
I would love to improve my fingerpicking and solo playing on the ukulele. I feel as though I’m not “worthy” because so many of my ukulele heroes excel at this style of playing. As a singer-songwriter it hasn’t been my main focus, but I’d love to develop this skill and become a more well-rounded player.
Do you play any other instruments?
I play the drums, guitar, and virtually every percussion instrument as a percussion instrument major during undergrad.
What keeps you coming back to ukulele?
The ukulele is a cultural icon, such a beautiful instrument that deserves so much more admiration. It holds far more sound than people often realize, and it always brings a smile to faces, especially mine.
andrewhoytmusic.com | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | TikTok
Releases Songs I Adore (2020), Andrew Hoyt (2020, EP), Andrew Hoyt (Acoustic) (2020, EP), Birthmark (2022), Fine (2023) Kind of Paradise (2025, EP)
