kealii reichel

Kealii Reichel (pronounced Kay-ah-LEE-ee) is a popular and bestselling singer, songwriter, choreographer, dancer, chanter, scholar, teacher, and personality from the State of Hawaii. He has spent his life educating the world about Hawaiian culture through music and dance. Kealii Reichel (Carleton Lewis Keali' inaniaimokuokalani Reichel) was born in 1961 and raised on the island of Maui, growing up in the town of Lahaina, but spent weekends and summers with his maternal grandmother in the plantation town of Pa'ia. He attended Lahainaluna High School. At the age of 24, Reichel was convicted of theft, and was sentenced to community service, which involved a study of Hawaiian culture. This marked a turning point in his life, as he decided to devote the rest of his life to the study and promotion of Hawaiian culture. Kealii Reichel was one of the founding directors for Punana Leo O Maui, a Hawaiian language immersion pre-school. He has taught Hawaiian culture and language at the University of Hawaii's, Maui Community College, and he was the Cultural Resource Specialist and Curator at the Bailey House Museum in Wailuku.

Hawaiian Music

Reichel studied Hawaiian dance and vocals under Kumu hula (dance instructor/choreographer/master) Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele, daughter of the kumu hula and Hawaiian scholar Edith Kanaka'ole. He later founded his own hula halau (Hawaiian dance troop) Halau hula o ka Makani Wili Makaha o Kaua'ula In 1994, at the age of 33, he independently produced and released a collection of Hawaiian traditional and contemporary music entitled Kawaipunahele which broke him into his popular music career. Reichels subsequent music releases, Lei Hali`a (1995), 'E O Mai(1997), and Melelana(1999), have placed him at the top of the Hawaiian music entertainment industry. He is also featured in the Contemporary Hawaiian collections Pride of Punahele(1998) and Pride of Punahele 2(2003). His most recent album Ke'alaokamaile(2004) took home four of the top awards at the 27th Annual 2004 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (the most honored local music awards in Hawai'i) including male vocalist of the year, album of the year, Hawaiian album of the year and song of the year. Reichels style most often includes vocals over a guitar, bass, and ukulele ensemble but may also include orchestral and traditional Hawaiian instruments. His vocals include Hawaiian language chanting and singing in both Hawaiian and English. Stage performances include dance in both traditional and modern hula forms.

International Recognition

Reichel currently has contracts with JVC Victor Entertainment and Atlantic/Time-Warner. Kealii Reichels consistent placement in Billboard Magazine's World Music Charts has garnered him international attention. He has opened concerts for Bonnie Raitt, LeAnn Rimes, Cline Dion, and Sting. In addition to his regular concerts in Hawaii, he has toured the United States mainland playing in such places as New York at Carnegie Hall, San Diego, San Francisco, Anaheim, Hollywood, Phoenix, and in the pacific in Tahiti, Osaka and has performed to a sold out audience in Tokyo, Japan. Reichel is known not only for his artistry, but for his teachings of Hawaiian culture to the rest of the world.