Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Kalani Pe’a

Music has the power to change lives, which is exactly what it did for singer-songwriter Kalani Pe’a. At the age of three, his mother introduced him to music to help with his speech impediment: what later would be a defining moment in his life and career. As he became more confident in his musical abilities, his speech impediment began to fade.

In 2017, he became the first Hawaiian recording artist to win the GRAMMY® Award for “Best Regional Roots Music Album” for his album, E Walea. He would make history again in 2018 when his new album, No ‘Ane’i, was nominated in the same category, a feat no other Hawaiian has ever accomplished.


Pop Culturalist caught up with Kalani ahead of this year’s GRAMMY® Awards to chat about his new album as well as his nomination.

PC: What was the inspiration behind your new album, No ‘Ane’i?
Kalani: No ‘Ane’i translates to “We Belong Here”. The theme of this album talks about becoming a resource to the communities you serve, in the sense of knowing yourself, your Hawaiian identity and knowing what responsibilities come with being Hawaiian. My job is to share and educate the story of Hawaiian people—our ancestors. The inspiration behind this album came quickly after my first GRAMMY® win. It honors all different assets of my life: it honors the place I come from, it honors the Hawaiian language school I graduated from, it honors special places I cherish here on Maui, it honors Hawaiian ali’i (Hawaiian royalty), and it honors our Hawaiian history.

PC: If you had to pick a track on the album that best summarizes you as an artist, which would it be and why?
Kalani: The track that would best describe me as an artist would be number eight, “Superstar”, based off the vocal stylings and my own unique sound. I am a Hawaiian contemporary and soul artist. I am not a traditional Hawaiian; I bring a modern approach to my Hawaiian compositions. In the song “Superstar”, which was made popular by the Carpenters, I sing in both Hawaiian and English. I add my own riffs and focus on my own way of singing this song. You can see the flow and melody I perform it in and how that translates in with the rest of the other tracks on the album.

PC: What was your reaction when you learned about your GRAMMY® nomination?
Kalani: I stayed up all night! I think it was announced around 4AM Hawaiian time, so we figured we would just stay up. The list wouldn’t load online, so we were trying to watch it live on YouTube Live. Then that wasn’t working, so we were trying to keep an eye on both! Finally, we got a text message from the Recording Academy’s Pacific Northwest Chapter President, Michael Compton, who sent me a congratulatory message. I was shocked and really didn’t want to believe I had a nomination until I could see the official list on GRAMMY.com. In the next five minutes, the list finally loaded online and I saw my name nominated for “Best Regional Roots Album” for No ‘Ane’i. It was official, and I immediately started crying and jumping around the house. It was a fun, fun morning and really a blessing. I am honored to represent Hawaii, our people, our language, our musical culture, and to share the stories of our ancestors. It is so important for these stories to be told. To be able to go to the GRAMMYs® again for a second nomination is unbelievable. It is really an honor to be selected amongst the musical peers of the Recording Academy. There has not been a Hawaiian artist that has ever been nominated in the “Best Regional Roots Album” category twice, so this is the first in history. Two is a big deal and I still can’t believe it. It is remarkable and unreal. It’s really an honor at the end of the day.

PC: Music has played a huge role in your life. Tell us about your connection with your craft.
Kalani: I got into music due to a speech impediment. I used to stutter and stammer as a child, so my mom introduced music to me. At three-years-old, my mom would find me singing to mannequins in department stores, thinking that she lost me. [laughs] So, the connection is all thanks to my mom, Pua, and how she helped introduce music to my life to improve my speech. After putting me into multiple competitions, my speech impediment started to vanish and I became a better and better singer and started building my own stage presence. The stage started to become my own personal safe haven.


PC: What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned being a part of the industry?
Kalani: Do you! Stay in your own lane. Do not worry about anyone else; worry about yourself only. A lot of people will waste a big chunk of their life worrying about everyone and everything else and not their own selves. Do you—focus on you, and you are bound for greatness! A lot of people will have opinions about you and what you are doing, but those opinions are not always valid, respected, wanted, or needed. Advice from your mentors is always good, but at the same time, the biggest lesson is to not care about what other people think. Listen to your heart and know the intention of why you are creating music, why you are performing, and why you are touring. Know the intention and make sure the intention is correct inside your heart. Understand the bigger picture! Most people are not in the music industry to make millions of dollars. To be a full-time musician is a dream job; it is not something taken for granted. To get to this point takes a lot of work and if this is something you want, be prepared to put in the work.


PC: When you look back on your career, what have been the stand out moments?
Kalani: Recently, I performed at the Hawaii Bowl for over 31,000 people at the Aloha Stadium. Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and Snoop Dog just had performances there recently, which is really crazy to think about. Another standout moment would definitely be both of my GRAMMY® Nominations and winning the first one. I also won the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award (Hawai’i’s version of the GRAMMYs®) for “Contemporary Album Of The Year” and became the FIRST Hawaii Recording Artist to ever win a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award & GRAMMY® Award for the same album, which is so awesome and a huge honor. I think the main standout moment for me is that I was (and still am) able to accomplish so much in a short period of time with my team and my partner, Allan B. Cool. I am very grateful.

PC: As we look ahead to 2019, what does the year hold for you?
Kalani: The year holds a lot! I have a busy schedule ahead and the year is pretty much booked out. I am on the road to the GRAMMY®s and am launching my Music for the Soul Tour, which will hit multiple cities: Portland, Eugene, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Irvine, Sacramento, the Bay area, and many more. I will take on my biggest show in the state of Hawaii as of yet on May 3rd at the Hawaii Theatre Center, which holds 1,400 seats. It is a state of the art historic theatre in Hawaii. Many icons have taken that stage and I am so grateful to have a date at the theatre, especially as a headline. I’m also looking forward to going to Japan at least three times this year—there is a huge following of Hawaiian music there! I’m looking forward to traveling to new places as well, including Las Vegas, Colorado, Alaska, along with some others! The 2019 list may also include a new album or holiday album!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Kalani: RuPaul’s Drag Race

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Kalani: Bohemian Rhapsody

PC: Favorite book?
Kalani: American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrera

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Kalani: Les Misérables

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Kalani: Allen Stone

PC: First album you bought?
Kalani: Luther Vandross

PC: First concert you attended?
Kalani: Colorado Music Festival

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Kalani: Hawaiian Music Legend: Genoa Keawe. She is a legend and an icon that stood the test of time for Hawaiian people. She brought back many of the traditional Hawaiian music songs of our people and allowed those stories to continue.

Keep up with Kalani by following him on Twitter and Instagram, and pick up No ‘Ane’i on iTunes or Amazon Music.

Photo Credit: Antonio Agosto