Photos: Ku'ehu Mauga, Ethan Jung,
Eric Morgensen
Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole & Lehua Kalima, Shawn Pimental, with Pono Fernandez, hula
“The Mele Collective”, Contemporary Music of Indigenous Hawai‘i
“Kanaka’ole… vaulted through various registers and timbres, from bass to witchy contralto rasp to sweet soprano (“skinny girl” voice, [she] said), a traditionalist tour de force.” –NY Times
“What they do isnʻt just music, itʻs an experience…The respect and love they have for their community and land is so inspirational.”
A riveting performer, Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole creates some of the most original work to emerge in contemporary Hawaiian music, drawing from ancestral memory and hula practice as chant transforms to melody. Kaumakaiwa seamlessly melds Hawaiian culture and modern sensibilities in deeply powerful music. A modern Hawaiian, she is a vibrant keeper of culture, and at the same time, an authentic innovator.
Kaumakaiwa is joined by long-time guitarist Shawn Pimental, an award-winning musician in his own right, one of Hawai‘i leading music performers Lehua Kalima (of Na Leo), along with hula practitioner Pono Fernandez – embarking on a new project “Mele Collective”, creating music drawn from their Native Hawaiian roots. With soaring vocals, island harmonies and a folk vibe, accompanied by an easy-going charm, the “Mele Collective” is committed to the stories of Hawai’i revealed through songs embedded with Hawaiian values, perspectives, and ways of being in the world. All are multiple Na Hoku (Hawaiian Music) Award-winners.
Together, Kaumakaiwa, Shawn and Lehua share prodigious talents as performers, songwriters and composers, engaging indigenous thought to address today’s issues through music, chant, and sharing of spirit. Their original songs are inspired by diverse musical styles and a passionate commitment to Hawai‘i. They reflect a growing population of Native Hawaiian speakers, whose pride in their roots provides strength and grounding, and empowers their responsibility as protectors of land and culture.
Tour Schedule
2026
TBA
Past Tour Dates
2025
Kaumakaiwa & Kulaiwi – Native Lands
Wed, Mar 19 through Sat Mar 22, 2025 – Auckland Arts Festival, Auckland NZ
Sat, Mar 29, 2025 – Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine CA
Sun, Mar 30, 2025 – Water Street Plaza Amphitheater, Henderson NV
2020
Kaumakaiwa and Shawn Pimental
Fri, Jan 31, 2020, Weis Center for the Performing Arts, Bucknell University, Lewisberg PA
Sat, Feb 1, 2020, Patterson Theater, Baltimore MD
Presented by Creative Alliance at the Patterson
Sun, Feb 2, 2020, Joe’s Pub, New York NY
Tues, Feb 4 & Wed, Feb 5, 2020, The Fredericton Playhouse, Fredericton, New Brunswick CANADA
Fri, Feb 7, 2020, First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, St Catherine’s, Ontario CANADA
Sun, Feb 9, Club Passim, Cambridge MA
With Shawn Pimental and Waipuna
Wed, Feb 12, 2020, Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, Berkeley CA
2019- with Shawn Pimental
Sunday, Oct 6, 2019, Te Tairawhiti Arts Festival, Gisborne NZ
Under An East Coast Moon at the Soundshell, Turanga
This engagement was generously supported by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation through USArtists International in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Wed, May 8, 2019, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank VIC, Australia
Fri, Jan 25, 2019, Discovery Theatre, Anchorage AK
Sun, Jan 27, 2019, The Cultch, Vancouver BC Canada
2018 – with Shawn Pimental
Fri, Jan 12, 2018, APAP Opening Plenary, NY Hilton Midtown, New York City NY
Sun, Jan 14, 2018, Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago IL
Mon, Jan 15, 2018, Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant, Minneapolis MN
Wed, Jan 17, 2018, Merced Multicultural Arts Center, Merced CA
Sun, Feb 18 – Sat, Feb 24 – APAM Events, New Farm, QLD, AU
Wed, Sept 26, 2018, Harris Center for the Arts, Folsom CA
Fri & Sat, Sept 28 & 29, 2018, Lotus World Music & Arts Festival, Bloomington IN
Mon, Oct 1, 2018, City Winery NYC, New York NY
Presented by CEG&T Presents
Sat, Oct 6, 2018, Boston University Global Music Festival, Boston MA
Fri, Nov 2, 2018, Wailuku First Friday, Wailuku HI
Sat, Nov 3, 2018, “Because of You, Honoring Clay Sutherland” Fundraiser, Maui Brewing Company, Kihei HI