Six-time Grammy Award nominee, multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winner and highest-selling Hawaiian female vocalist of all time, Amy Hanaiali‘i performs live from the Kahilu Theatre stage on Feb. 5.
Hanaiali‘i’s talent merges her disciplined classical training, powerhouse vocals, her family’s worldwide heritage, and her deeply rooted ancestral responsibility. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from United States International University School of Performing and Visual Arts in San Diego, Hanaiali‘i spent time with her grandmother, international Hawaiian superstar Jennie Napua Woodd. Undoubtedly, her world-famous falsetto training and strict pronunciation lessons gave Amy a beloved respect of Hawaiian culture and music, making her grandmother one of the most influential people in her life.
Hanaiali‘i’s artistic and commercial success has brought both recognition from Hawaii’s music community and universal acceptance from fans. Her albums have consistently placed at the top of Billboard’s World Album charts. She has played for the Dalai Lama, at two inaugural balls in Washington D.C. for President Barak Obama and she was the first entertainer ever to perform in the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square, China. She has played for sold-out crowds in Europe, Japan and all across America and French Polynesia.
Her “Friends and Family” album showcased a stunning duet with country music legend Willie Nelson; Amy has also performed live and opened for renowned artists like Earth, Wind and Fire, Carlos Santana, Boz Scaggs, Diana Krall, Joe Cocker and she sang a duet with Michael McDonald. She has played to sold-out audiences at world-renowned venues including: Blue Note Jazz Club New York and Japan, Feinstein’s/54 Below, Stern Grove, The Cutting Room, and with numerous orchestras around the world.
Hanaiali‘i’s performance gets underway at 7 p.m. with a live talk story following the performance, which can be viewed two ways: in-person or on-demand.
In-person tickets range from $35 to $65 and are available at kahilutheatre.org. Social distancing, mask-wearing, and sanitization protocols are in place. Proof of vaccination or proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of entering the theater is required.
On-demand tickets for this show, which are good for an entire household, are $19.99 and available at Kahilu.TV.
Pure Heart reunites for Kahilu concert
On Feb. 6, the theater presents the reunion of Pure Heart.
Back in 1999, three young guys in their early 20’s burst into the Hawaiian music scene as the group, Pure Heart. The group consisted of ukulele musician Jake Shimabukuro, acoustic guitar/vocalist Jon Yamasato and percussionist Lopaka Colon Jr. and is rated in the top-50 Musical Groups of All Times of Hawaii, and also one of Hawaii’s youngest musical groups ever to take the local music scene by storm in such a short period.
That same year, the group won five Na Hoku Hanohano Awards including “Album of the Year.” Pure Heart has three albums “Pure Heart,” “Pure Heart 2,” and “Pure Heart 2.5 Christmas,” as well as a new digital album titled “Best of Pure Heart.” Despite being extremely popular, Pure Heart disbanded a few years later. But things happen for a reason and Shimabukuro would become one of the world’s renowned ‘ukulele artists, Colon Jr., would go on to play with Hawaii’s top musicians, and Yamasato, who returned to music three months after quitting Pure Heart in 1999 to release his first solo album, and has performed with numerous groups.
The performance is slated for 4 p.m. with in-person and on-demand viewing. In-person tickets range from $35 to $65 and can be purchased at kahilutheatre.org. On-Demand tickets are $19.99 and are available at Kahilu.TV.