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Hawai‘i’s No. 1 selling female artists of all time – the girls of Na Leo Pilimehana – take the stage for the Aloha Live! 2005 Hawaiian Music Concert Tour. “Listening to our music is the next best thing to being in Hawai‘i,” said Nalani Choy of Na Leo. “Our songs reflect Hawai‘i’s laidback lifestyle and by the time we’re through you’ll be dreaming of palm trees and moonlight and waves lapping on warm, white-sand beaches.”
The trio of Na Leo Pilimehana are Hawai‘i’s No. 1 selling female artists of all time and have received 21 Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawai‘i’s version of the Grammy Awards) since coming together in 1984. Na Leo Pilimehana, Hawaiian for “voices blending together in warmth,” was the first group from the Islands to successfully cross the line between Hawaiian music and the adult contemporary format. Their accomplishments also include being Hawai‘i’s first female group to reach the Radio and Records Adult Contemporary chart and the first group from the Islands to headline the House of Blues in Hollywood and Los Angeles. Group members Nalani Choy, Lehua Kalima Heine, and Angela Morales had their first hit as seniors when they entered a local radio youth talent contest, “Brown Bags to Stardom” in 1984 with their original song, “Local Boys.” The tune blasted onto the local charts and held its spot at No. 1 for months. Not long after, Na Leo put out its first hit album, also called “Local Boys,” which included three other original compositions.
In July 1998, the hit single “The Rest of Your Life” gained national airplay in July on more than 100 stations in 41 states, after topping the charts in Hawai‘i a year earlier. The group beat the odds again in December 1999, when its single “Poetry Man” reached #18 on Radio and Records Top 20 chart and #24 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Make no mistake about it, Hawaiian music is growing and gaining worldwide acceptance every year. In 2004, 148 new albums were released and the most exciting news this year was the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) addition of the “Best Hawaiian Music Album” category to the Grammy Awards. This recognition by NARAS alone further emphasizes the growing popularity of Hawaiian music worldwide.
“Hawaiian music is right on the edge of a national explosion in popularity,” said Alan Yamamoto, president of the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts (HARA). “This is due in large part to the Grammy’s recognizing Hawaiian music. It’s clear that people across the country are embracing the uniqueness of our Island sounds. It just takes you to a great place.”
The Aloha Live! 2005 Hawaiian Music Concert Tour is endorsed by the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau and United Vacations, both whom support the tour’s efforts to perpetuate and promote Hawaiian music across America. For more information about Hawai‘i, the Islands of Aloha and to begin planning your ultimate Hawai‘i dream vacation, visit GoHawaii.com/Vacation. |
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