Kolohe Kai thrives as a songwriter, performer and ambassador of Hawaiian music
Photo courtesy of Kolohe Kai.
Daily Reggae caught up with Kolohe Kai to learn about the reception to his beautiful album, “Hazel Eyes”, his passion for Hawaiian music, and how he balances recording and live shows. Kai has an upcoming tour in the U.S. that you will not want to miss!
Congratulations again on such an incredible new album, “Hazel Eyes”! How has the reception been around the world?
It’s been amazing to see how many people needed to hear some of these songs. “I Think You’re Beautiful”, one of the singles off the album, has been such a timely and loved track on the radio to help boost self love. "Hazel Eyes” is playing a ton on Hawaii radio and is bringing joy to many. I’m happy that people are happy with it.
It's exciting to see that you are planning an upcoming tour to support the album. Can you tell us about your band? Have you been performing with them for a long time and did they contribute to the album?
The Band behind me has been such a solid dream team for me. Some have been playing with me since the very beginning 13 years ago. We’ve had some beautiful memories together. To name a few, my saxophone player Kolomona Wilson has been jamming with me since 2009 and is so talented. He sings harmony, plays keyboard and jams sax. The girl in my band, Jasmine Moikeha has been singing with me for half of my lifetime. 15 years!!! We all have had such a journey together. My producers and I recorded all the songs and then the band learned the songs after we’ve recorded it to bring it to the stage.
You are truly an ambassador for Hawaii and its amazing scene. Can you describe the music scene in Hawaii and is it important for you to share that with people around the world?
I feel like our Hawaiian culture is so rich with many unique flavors. Music is just one of those expressions, but it is a big one. It’s influenced almost every memory we hold dear in these beautiful islands. Because we’re surrounded by such tropical beauty, it inspires pure music. Because we’re raised with such strong family values it inspires good morals which we include in that music. The talent that flows through the blood of our local people comes from decades of passed down aloha and joy. I tell you, this Hawaii music industry is filled with some amazingly talented people with a beautiful story to tell. The world just needs to quiet its chaos and listen.
What is the process like preparing for time in the studio vs. a live show?
The process is very different. There’s some pressure preparing for a new song to be recorded. It’s just you and your producer that are there, creating something fun in the moment. Of course it takes time to write the song and there is some anxiety to make sure it’s exactly the way I want it. After releasing music for a long time there is an expectation people have for Kolohe Kai songs that can feel nerve wrecking. But usually it’s quite relaxed and exciting. But preparing for a live show is a whole different kind of work. We are taking what took 15-20 hours to create to be perfectly mimic’d within 30 min to an hour in practice. We don’t have much time to rehearse and it’s stressful to make sure we sound like the recording. We are going to be on display for thousands of people. There’s more people to coordinate with in live band work. But all in all it’s all so exciting! I like to say the studio is the kitchen, and the stage is the restaurant where people get to enjoy the end product. I personally prefer the kitchen. Lol.
For the new music you write, do you tend to get song ideas when jamming your uke or guitar more? Or is it a mix?
I usually write songs on my ukulele because it’s so travel friendly. You can take it anywhere. I’ve even written songs riding a bicycle with a uke. A new song’s inspiration is very fragile on time, if you're not ready to get it down then and there you’ll probably lose the idea forever. So I always bring my ukulele wherever I travel just in case.
