Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 04, 1 ʻApelila 2003 — Kainani Kahaunaele a rising star on the horizon [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kainani Kahaunaele a rising star on the horizon

Mh ē ;oii wo —

[?]

By Manu Boyd There's a new CD out that is bound to stir up excitement in the loeal recording industry. It is fresh, appealing, Hawaiian with jazz/contemporary flair, and an easy contender as one of the best loeal CDs yet in the millennium. Kainani Kahaunaele, 28, has a multi-faceted style that should attract a wide range of fans from keiki to kūpuna. "Na 'u 'Oe," her first solo release and the first commercial recording produced by the Hawaiian language educational organization, 'Aha Pūnana Leo (APL), is big. Not only does "Na 'u 'Oe " meet the mark as a credible collection of well-written Hawaiian and contemporary material, it is designed to aeeompany curriculum in the art of haku mele or song composition. "Lessons have been written for students from pre-school to high school, and will be

posted at aha punanaleo.org,' said Kahaunaele, herself a eunieulum developer at APL whose mission is to reestablish the mana 'ōlelo Hawai'i as a living lan- I guage. "We're I also producing video '"6

clips of interviews with noted Hawaiian haku mele who share mana'o on poetic composition," she said. Kahaunaele was born and raised on Kaua'i but

lives in Hilo where she graduated with a degree in Hawaiian studies/lanI guage. She embodies the essence of ' 'ohana whieh she acknowledges throughout the project. Her grandmother, Kanani Pānui Kahaunaele, is the subject of the title cut in whieh Kainani proclaims, "'O 'oe ku'u mea e koa ai au" (you are my very strength to continue). "I was the first of more than 20 mo'opuna, so I was taken straight to Grandma who raised me," said Cahaunaele. "She taught me everything. he took good care of her family and was uv iuuiw guuu coxv ux uui laiuu^ auu waa

B a fine example." Kainani's mother, Lady I — J Ipo Kahaunaele, a well-known Kaua'i entertainer, sings a duet with her daughter See KAHAUNAELE on page 20

KAHAUNAELE from pago 13 of a medley of songs titled "Kalalea" for the famous peak above Anahola. One of the two was eomposed by Kainani's great-great-great-grandmother, Keali'ikua'āina Kahanu. "Kainaniokalihiwai," the beautiful sea of Kalihiwai, is the full Hawaiian name of this artist, whose love for the oeean inspires her work. Aside from being an educator and a performer, Kahaunaele is also a crew member of the Kawaihae-based voyaging eanoe, "Makali'i." A huaka'i to Satawal, Maikonekia (Micronesia) in 1999 sparked "E Mau ē," a tribute to master navigator Mau Piailug, largely responsible for re-awakening traditional seafaring and celestial navigation in Hawai'i. A Māori haka (chant) precedes the song, recounting the genealogy of Hawaiian voyaging canoes from the source, Hōkūle'a, to Hawai'iloa, Mauloa and Makali'i. Among Kahaunaele originals in English is "So Delicious" whieh has cross-over potential, and speaks

of love, surfing, and the love of surfing. Great lyrics and music. Another potential hit, "Only 2 U" by Kiliona "Moku" Young, has a catchy Hawaiian refrain by Kahaunaele again alluding to surfing and love. Fragrances of laua'e and hīnano permeate through the valley of Wainiha, the subject of a romantic ballad, "Lei Wainiha" with soothing guitar and equally soothing lyrics and melody. "Ka Hinano O Puna," a chant-like hula song about the volcano district with haunting 'ohe hano ihu (nose flute) is another stand out. There's a lot going on in "Na'u 'Oe." Outstanding graphics, invaluable liner notes, elean engineering, beautiful photography, expert Hawaiian language usage and overall high quality are a feast for those who hunger for good food for the soul. E 'ai a mā'ona, e inu a kena, a e ho'olohe mai i ka leo 'ōiwi o "Na'u 'Oe" he nahenahe i ka pepeiao a he ho'onanea mai ho'i kau! ■