Govi (Santoo Govi) (born February 27, 1949) is a new age/ambient Hawaiian-German musician. Each of Govi's albums has reached the Top 10 on Billboard's New Age chart. Biography Govi was born Werner Monka in Germany. During his teens, he lived in Minden/Westfalen (Germany), near Bielefeld. There he performed as the lead guitarist in bands like Blackbird (1962), Virus (1971), and Weed (1971, with Ken Hensley of Uriah Heep) that played everything from rock to blues. These experiences led to his first professional gig as a member of a group that played original material and won a national band competition and a recording contract that allowed them to tour throughout Germany. Although a native of Germany, Werner Monka decided to make a radical change and leave Europe. He sold his electric guitar, a Gibson Les Paul, to pay for the flight to India. There he changed his name first to Govinda, then to Govi. He spent eight years living in India. He started playing the mandolin, mandocello, sitar, bouzouki, charango and the 8-string ukulele. While in India, he established a friendship with the German new age artists Deuter and Karunesh. Deuter co-produced Govi's first album Sky High, throughout which Deuter can be heard playing flutes and keyboards. A prolific artist, Govi has released 19 albums to date. His fifth album, Guitar Odyssey, became one of the most successful albums in its genre, reaching the top ten of the Billboard new age albums, eventually climbing to number three. In 2022, Govi released a new EP featuring four new songs in his signature style. Govi currently lives in Kula, Hawaii. He often collaborates with a fellow German musician, Karunesh, who also lives in Hawaii. Discography Studio albums 1988 - Sky High 1991 - Heart of a Gypsy 1993 - Cuchama 1995 - Passion & Grace 1997 - Guitar Odyssey 1999 - No Strings Attached: Govi at his Exuberant Best 1999 - Andalusian Nights 2000 - Seventh Heaven 2001 - Your Lingering Touch: Govi at his Romantic Best 2002 - Mosaico 2004 - Saffron & Silk 2005 - Havana Sunset: The Best of Govi 2007 - Jewel Box 2008 - Touch of Light 2011 - Guitarra Mistica 2013 - Pure at Heart 2015 - The High Road 2018 - Luminosity 2022 - Four 4 U (EP) Other compilations 1997 - Tranquility (A Real Music Sampler) 1997 - Rhythm: A Real Music Sampler 1998 -