Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole

The Voice of Hawai’i’s New Generation

“My work draws directly from ancestral memory and hula practice, with roots in chant that transforms to melody. It is not simply Western song with Hawaiian lyrics.”–Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole

“…Kanaka’ole…was backed only by a guitarist in songs drawing on island traditions, particularly chameleonic vocals. [She] vaulted through various registers and timbres, from bass to witchy contralto rasp to sweet soprano ([her] “skinny girl” voice, [she] said), a traditionalist tour de force.” –Jon Pareles, The New York Times

“Kaumakaiwa Kanaka`ole carries the banner of family matriarch Edith Kanaka`ole with pride and dignity. Clearly, “Welo” will be a beacon for others to admire, adopt and follow; it’s loaded with exquisite chants, mele and stories, all told in the native Hawaiian tongue, but eloquent and inventive in execution. This is an inspired primer on preserving and perpetuating things and themes Hawaiian, with surprises and treats galore . . .” –Wayne Harada, Honolulu Advertiser