Trinity “Mele” Villanueva is a musician whose connection to her cultures is at the core of who she is. Her work moves across oceans, languages, and how people actually learn. In her twenties, her kumu hula blessed her with her name Melelani meaning ‘Heavenly Music.’

A classically trained pianist from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Trinity began her career as a performer—appearing on Broadway as a vocalist, on television as a hula dancer, and as a national classical piano competitor at a young age. But after becoming a mother early in life, she made the intentional decision to step away from performance and build stability as a co-parent for her son, Kai.

What followed was nearly two decades of leadership and reinvention within the creative arts. Trinity went on to serve as an Executive Director (Public Art Reston), an Associate VP (Arts Consulting Group), and a member of Boards of Directors, working alongside hundreds of arts organizations such as the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, GRACC, The Guthrie, BroadStage, The Phillips Collection, and Toronto Public Library. She went onto become Managing Partner of a global consulting agency focused on Justice and Equity-centered leadership including clients such as Google, Paramount Global, and Penske Media Corporation. Along the way, she earned degrees and certifications from Trinity College Dublin, the University of Pennsylvania, the NAEA School for Art Leaders, and Hablá Instituto.

But despite her success, something wasn’t quite in place. Music—her first language—was never meant to be left aside.

Returning to it became a conscious reclamation. It’s a part of her path for her kuleana.

Today, Trinity is a full-time musician, teaching ʻukulele around the world on cruise ships (Hawaiian Entertainment Co.) and through her platform, ‘Ukulele with Mele. She built it to offer what she didn’t always have—a way into music that is flexible, patient, and culturally immersed.

Alongside her teaching, she creates and performs live shows thru vocals, ʻukulele, and piano, blending genres and languages and bringing more visibility to an instrument that is often overlooked, especially within the context of her own cultures.

Her work is shaped by her Hawaiian-Filipina and Puerto Rican heritage, her broad artistic experience, and ongoing cultural study across Pasifika and on Turtle Island. She moves regularly between the islands and the DMV (Maryland) as part of her life and work, and speaks English and Spanish, with continued study in ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi, Tahitian, French, and Reo Māori.

Her son is an accomplished vocalist and athlete who she hopes will far surpass her one day.