Lehua kalima biography
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Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole & Kulaiwi Barclay Theatre Reserved – 2025-03-29 8:00 PM Contemporary Music & Hula of Indigenous Hawai‘i
“Kanaka’ole... vaulted through various registers and timbres, from bass to witchy contralto rasp to sweet soprano… a traditionalist tour de force.” — The New York Times
Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole and Kulāiwi represent the heartbeat of Hawai’i today. With soaring vocals, island harmonies and a delightful folk vibe, their original songs reflect their diverse musical styles and passionate commitment to their native Hawaiian roots.
Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole, a charismatic dancer and singer, possesses an impressive vocal range spanning from tenor chant to Hawaiian falsetto singing. A five-time Na Hoku Hanohano (Hawaiian “Grammy”) Award-winner, she seamlessly blends Hawaiian cultural elements with modern sensibilities to create profoundly moving music.
Kaumakaiwa's longtime guitarist, Shawn Pimental, an award-winning musician in his own right, collaborated with
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HISTORY OF NA LEO
It all started as 3 high school friends Nalani Jenkins, Lehua Kalima and Angela Morales winning Hawaii's biggest high school talent contest, Brown Bags to Stardom, in 1984. Our winning song, an original entitled "Local Boys", hit radio bygd storm, launched Na Leo's career and remains the #1 selling single in Hawaii history. 36 years later having written, recorded and performed more than twenty #1 hits, our music has marked life's milestones for our fans becoming the playlist to their lives.
Signed to Sony Japan in 1996 (and resigned again in 2019)
23 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawaii's Grammy) including Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Group of the Year, Contemporary skiva of the Year, etc.
Hit Songs: Local Boys, North Shore Serenade, Flying with Angels, I Miss You My Hawaii, Poetry Man, Rest of Your Life, You Don't Remember, Just My Imagination, sparande Forever, and more ..... (see our songs on iTunes or Amazon)
OUR NAM
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Lehua Kalima was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii and graduated from the Kamehameha Schools in 1984. Born into a family of musicians - her father and his siblings were known as the "Hilo Kalimaʻs" - and encouraged by her mom to play the piano from the age of 3 - this mix of nature and nurture provided the perfect catalyst for a lifetime love and respect for music of all genreʻs.
In the 5th grade, as many children in Hawaii do, she picked up the `ukulele and in the 7th grade the guitar and cello. In high school she learned to play the upright bass and in her junior year joined the Kamehameha Concert Glee club. It was here that she partnered up with two other friends and created a trio which accompanied the hula dancers in their glee club. This group soon came to be called Na Leo Pilimehana and in their senior year of high school they won a state-wide high school talent competition named Brown Bags to Stardom. Their prize was to record a 45 rpm of their original song "Local Bo