Kalani Pe‘a

Singer/Songwriter

THREE-Time GRAMMY® AWARD WINNER – Regional Roots – 2022, 2019, 2017
4th Grammy Nomination 2025!
5-time Na Hoku Hanohano Award-Winner, including Male Vocalist of the Year

“Gifted with a gorgeous voice and a flair for composing resonant Hawaiian songs, his debut album established him as 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 brea of his talent as a vocalist and songwriter in vivid style.”  — Honolulu Star-Advertiser

“One of Hawai’i’s brightest new stars…His soulful voice showcases his many influences from classical, R&B, and soul, but his ʻike (Hawaiian knowledge) and love for our culture keeps it right where it needs to be” — Jaz Kaiwikoʻo, producer and radio personality

Kalani Pe’a is a charismatic performer with a gorgeous voice, powerful presence, and captivating style not-to-be-missed. Kalani Pe’a’s most recent release Kuini just won him his 4th Grammy Nomination, the only Hawaiian music artist nominated in the 2025 Regional Roots category.  His third release Kau Ka Pe’a won him his 3rd Grammy Award in Regional Roots, along with 2 Na Hoku Awards (Hawai‘i’s “Grammy”), including the coveted Male Vocalist of the Year. He took home his first 2 Grammy Awards for first 2 releases – both hit the iTunes and Billboard’s World Music Charts. His debut album E Walea made Hawaiian music history as the only album ever to win both a Grammy and Na Hoku Award. His holiday Purple Hawaiian Christmas release won him the Na Hoku for Best Contemporary Album in 2023, bringing his Na Hoku total to 5 awards. The Maui News praises “[his] flair for Hawaiian language composition, a talent for fusing traditional and contemporary elements into his music and his wide, expressive vocal range.”

Kalani Pe’a made his New York debut to a sold-out audience in 2020, the first Hawaiian artist to perform in Lincoln Center’s American Songbook. He returned to New York in 2024 for Carnegie Hall’s Musical Explorers program, for a full week of sold-out performances. Committed to his Hawaiian culture, in 2019, he made the first of several appearances at the prestigious Merrie Monarch hula competition, with an original song for winning Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela. He was honored to be a WAA (Western Arts Alliance) Native Launchpad Artist, a program designed to further the careers of U.S.-based indigenous artists. 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. 

Self-described as “Hawaiian contemporary soul”, Kalani Pe‘a was awarded a prestigious Native Arts & Cultures Foundation Fellowship in 2018 and named an Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2019 by the First Peoples Fund. He was honored by the Hawai‘i State House of Representatives with an official proclamation in 2017: “It is vital that Native Hawaiian culture and the arts be perpetuated for future generations: Kalani Pe’a is a tourchbearer.” With his passion for perpetuating Hawaiian language and culture, his music features his original and classic Hawaiian songs alongside his affectionate bilingual (Hawaiian/English) arrangements of his R&B favorites – a nod to the western music he grew up with. Most recently, he was inducted into the inaugural Maui Nui Hall of Fame.

Kalani Pe‘a’s Hawaiian Christmas
Celebrating good cheer with traditional, Hawaiian, and original songs of the season
Kalani Pe‘a’s Hawaiian Christmas show is a celebration of the warmth and special “aloha” of the Holiday Season, sharing much-loved songs from both western and Hawaiian roots. His Christmas Single earned him a Na Hoku award in 2021, and he released his first Christmas CD, Purple Hawaiian Christmas, in 2022 in time for the holiday season, winning him the 2023 Na Hoku Award for Contemporary Album of the Year.

“Peʻa totally commits himself to every song and is able to deliver with much passion using his wide vocal range”, noted Kalani’s award-winning record producer Dave Tucciarone.

TOURS with 3-pc band (guitar, bass, drumkit)  

Music Video: Ke ʻAʻa O Nā Lani