It's a sweet life these days for singer Raiatea Helm.

For the second consecutive holiday season, Helm is the focus of Hawaiian Host chocolate's Christmas macadamia nut medley, twinning her new song, "Foolish Ways," on a free five-song CD packaged with a box of premium chocolate-coated macadamia nuts boasting her image.

So this month, Helm appears in a series of Walmart in-person mini-concerts and autograph-signing sessions.

She's also gone global; Helm and fellow Island entertainers Keola and Moana-lani Beamer, Jeff Peterson, Steve Jones, Chino Montero and Capella Williams did a promotional tour of Shanghai, Beijing and Fuzhou last month to expose Hawaiian culture to a fertile new audience through song and dance.

She fielded some queries:

Q. Obviously, the first Hawaiian Host chocolates with your first composition, "Where I Belong," was a great success. What's your take on your new holiday medley tradition?

A. I am so fortunate and thankful and delighted to have the chance to establish a holiday tradition that combines my music with chocolate, to have the opportunity to work with Hawaiian Host, a local company with a great tradition serving our community. The thought of people listening to my music and smiling while they are eating chocolates seems to be a win for everyone!

Q. How much personal life experience is reflected in "Foolish Ways"?

A. The lyrics were inspired by events that took place at different times in my life. One aspect of the song speaks of a relationship, although that is not the only meaning I am trying to express. "Foolish Ways" really talks about how we all fail to look at ourselves closely, and as a result we keep making the same mistakes over and over. As the song says, "Oh, it's still the same, no one has changed their foolish ways."

Q. Are you confident with your growth and maturity, both as a singer and a composer?

A. I am enjoying the process of learning to express myself in my own words. My first three recordings all represent my growth as a female vocalist in the traditional Hawaiian music art form. This Hawaiian Host project provides me with the opportunity to communicate with my audience on a personal level. I believe I have grown a great deal over the past nine years as a recording artist and now I feel comfortable in my own skin.

Q. With your Tahiti trek earlier this year and China recently, are you focusing on a global audience for your music?

A. First of all, I will never forget all of my fans here in Hawai'i who supported me from the beginning. After I started singing professionally, I knew I wanted to travel the world sharing my music. My Tahiti, Japan and China concert appearances are simply a natural progression of my growth as a vocalist and musician. Each day I realize how lucky I am to have the opportunity to sing Hawaiian music at home as well as in so many faraway places. And when I am away, it amazes me how much people everywhere LOVE Hawaiian music. Not just my music but all kinds of Hawaiian music!

Q. When is that Hawai'i Theatre concert DVD coming out — in time for Christmas giving?

A. The DVD "Raiatea Live!" should be in November. This is my first video, and I hope everyone likes it. It's a perfect stocking stuffer for the Christmas holiday season!

Presumably, with a box of chocolates as a stuffer-mate.