Hoku - How Do I Feel

JUL 01 2000 · 12:00

Hoku - How Do I Feel (2000) Director: Gregory Dark Era: Y2K Teen Pop Peak (2000) - The apex of post-Spears bubblegum pop saturation, defined by Geffen/Interscope-backed female teen artists, TRL-driven visibility, and sun-drenched, location-shot music videos targeting 10-16 demographics. Moderate-to-high archival value as a confirmed Gregory Dark-directed teen pop artifact from his peak mainstream crossover year (2000), shot on location in Hawaii with documented production provenance. Represents a rare intersection of Pacific Islander pop identity, bubblegum comedy narrative, and a directorial voice better known for edgier work. Useful as a genre contrast case within the Dark filmography and as a document of the brief, oversaturated Y2K teen pop moment on Geffen/Interscope. Context: Released in mid-2000 as the follow-up to 'Another Dumb Blonde,' 'How Do I Feel (The Burrito Song)' arrived at the absolute saturation point of the post-Spears teen pop boom. Hoku, daughter of Hawaiian legend Don Ho, signed to Geffen/Interscope at 18, embodied a lighter, faith-adjacent, girl-next-door counterpoint to the more provocative images of her chart peers. The video's North Shore, Oahu location shoot grounds the clip in a distinctly Pacific Islander cultural identity rare in the TRL landscape, while Gregory Dark's direction, responsible that same year for Vitamin C's graduation anthem and Linkin Park's debut, brought a polished, commercially calibrated aesthetic that belied the song's deliberately goofy romantic premise. The single failed to chart, emblematic of the volatile Y2K pop market where only lead singles from established acts broke through. Director notes: Confirmed via IMVDb (imvdb.com/video/hoku/how-do-i-feel) and IMDB (imdb.com/title/tt8191810). Released 2000 on Geffen/Interscope Records as the follow-up single to 'Another Dumb Blonde.' Video was shot on location on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, per contemporaneous press documentation at donho.com. The video was the second and final single from Hoku's self-titled debut album. Dark was at the height of his mainstream pop video output in 2000, also directing Vitamin C's 'Graduation (Friends Forever)' and Linkin Park's 'One Step Closer' that same year. Editor credited as Jeff Selis per IMVDb. The single did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 but received positive critical notices.