Kaila Hawai'i

One of Kaila Hawai‘i’s favorite clips on YouTube recently has been the debut video from Tikahiri, “Tapea te paari”, off their first album, Tamaki Hope’a. Firstly, the song is killer, combining acoustic rock and Tuamotu language—a totally unique sound for Tahiti and the rest of Te Ao Mā‘ohi. But stylewise, we’re digging brothers Aroma and [...]

I’ve been hooked to Māori spin doctor Tiki Taane since I first caught a glimpse of his mindblowing video clip “Tangaroa”, off his debut album album Past, Present, Future. For those unfamiliar with Polynesian mythology, Tangaroa is the Māori god of the sea, corresponding to the Hawaiian akua Kanaloa. The track is a shock to the [...]

Kahi (The Place): Tahiti, Te Ao Ma’ohi/French Polynesia
Think of music from Tahiti, and you’ll think of the gentle sway of the ‘aparima or the pulsing, multi-layered rhythms for an ‘ote’a. But the music of our cousins to the south goes beyond the melodies of the Heiva. Take an act like Tikahiri,fronted by brothers Aroma and [...]

Erykah Badu  Live at Aloha Tower on May 29

Kahi (The Place): Honolulu, Kona, O’ahu-a-Lua
I remember when I got my hands on Ms. Erykah Badu’s debut album Baduizm back in the nineties. I had “On and On” on repeat, back in the day when we used to jam on the Sony Discman. She was fresh out [...]