Kalani Pe'a Music

“Gifted with a gorgeous voice and a flair for composing resonant Hawaiian songs, [he’s] a major, innovative figure in contemporary Hawaiian music.” – Maui News
“Kalani Pe’a holds an important place in the history of Hawaiian music… [His] third album…displays the depth and breadth of his talent as a vocalist and songwriter in vivid style.” — Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Three-time Grammy Award Winner (2017, 2019, 2022) and Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award Winner Singer/Songwriter Kalani Pe’a brings his amazing talent to the Heard Museum during one of the biggest weeks in the Valley of the Sun. Visitors from around the globe will be in Phoenix to attend Super Bowl LVII and the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and all will be invited to travel vicariously from the Sonoran Desert to the Hawaiian Islands via the golden waves of Kalani Pe’a’s voice.

Pe’a’s third release Kau Ka Pe’a garnered his 3rd Grammy win in Regional Roots. He took home his 2nd Grammy Award in 2019 for his second CD No ‘Ane’i [We Belong Here], a release that hit #1 on iTunes World Music Charts and #11 on Billboard’s World Music Charts. His debut album E Walea won him his first Grammy® Award in 2017 for “Best Regional Roots Music Album,” which also received the 2017 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award (Hawai‘i’s “Grammy”) for Best Hawaiian Contemporary Album, making Hawaiian music history as the only album ever to win both a Grammy and Nā Hōkū. His newest album, “Purple Hawaiian Christmas,” is out now across all digital platforms.
The Maui News praises “[his] distinguished…flair for Hawaiian language composition, a talent for fusing traditional and contemporary elements into his music and his wide, expressive vocal range.”
February 2020 saw his New York debut, at a sold-out performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook, the first Hawaiian artist to be featured on the series. His original song He Lei Aloha (No Hilo) was also featured on NBC’s Little Big Shots hosted by Melissa McCarthy, sung by Keala Suttle (The Greatest Showman) and danced by Hunnay Demello, and his recording of He Lei Aloha (No Hilo) was featured on the 2021 Netflix release Finding ‘Ohana. In 2019, he made his debut appearance at the prestigious Merrie Monarch hula competition, with an original song for Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela, the group that went on to win top honor at the competition.
Self-described as “Hawaiian contemporary soul”, Kalani Pe‘a’s is garnering awards and recognition: Native Arts & Cultures Foundation Fellowship, Artist in Business Leadership Fellowship by the First Peoples Fund, Distinguished Alumni Award by his alma mater Colorado Mesa University, and a WAA Native Launchpad Award in 2020. In May 2021, Kalani was selected as a featured artist for Spotify and Amazon Music campaigns during AAPI (Asian-American Pacific Islander) month, gracing billboards on over 120 transit shelters in New York and San Francisco. He was also nominated for a Folk Alliance International Artist of the Year Award in 2022. In 2022 Pe’a was selected to be apart of the AAPI Campaign with Pandora Music & Tune Core Music.