Hawaiʻi Island-based singer and songwriter Kalaʻe Parish took home some of the most prestigious honors in Hawaiian music at this year's Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards. The accolades included Album of the Year (“Where I’m Going”), Contemporary Album of the Year (“Where I’m Going”), Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year (Composer Award, “Kickinʻ Back”). He also took home a fifth award, which is shared with his wife, Kalena, for Christmas Album of the Year (“Kala‘e + Kalena + Kalikimaka”).
Parish’s debut album, “Where I’m Going" was released March 2024 and includes 10 original songs, inspired by life. Some songs, such as "Scars on Your Mama” are about loss. Others, such as “These Islands,” are about the joys of living in Hawaiʻi and celebrate sunshine, crystal clear waters and Kalua pig served with rice and shoyu.
“The album was really a healing story,” he told Aloha State Daily. “In 2021, me and my wife lost our daughter at birth, and I started my album immediately after that. It was my way of healing me and my family. It was a passion project to keep us afloat and also for me to put all that feeling and emotion and energy into music.”
On Saturday, June 28, Parish and his wife will be performing at the Waimea Valley Summer Concert Series, followed by a free concert at Kāneʻohe Night Market.
“I'm excited to share what we have to offer here in Hawaiʻi, which is Hawaiian country,” Parish said. “My personal flavor of country music, which is very rooted in our paniolo culture.”
The dynamic duo also teach at the Kapena School of Music, which won Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards for Extended Play of the Year and Most Promising Artist(s) of the Year. His wife founded the school and is the president of the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts, which runs the Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards. (The awards recognize recordings released between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024. HARA members select the award winners.)
Parish grew up on Oʻahu but used to spend summers working at his grandfather’s ranch on Big Island. In 2019, he moved to Waimea, where the cowboy town and countryside continued to inspire his music.
“It’s a lifestyle,” Parish said. “I like to call myself a weekend cowboy because on the weekends we go and we ride horses and we brand cattle. We hunt, we fish, and we do all the things. You hear it in my music. I talk about it a lot. I talk about — from mauka to makai — being on horseback and sharing those stories through my music.”
His song, “Kickin’ Back,” which won Song of the Year (Composer Award) is another track on his debut album. The country song describes cutting grass and drinking after work is done. To announce the new music, he shared a video where he sings and drives a lawnmower.
“I was actually about to cut grass, and I decided: ʻHuh, I should make a video for this song since I’m about to cut grass,’” he said with a laugh. “It's in the lyrics of the song: ʻTall grass, done before the boss asked.’ I thought it would be fun to do that video. But it's all real: It's who I am. My dream was to live my life as a country boy and as a musician. That was always my dream.”
He still works his family ranch.
“And then on my own farm, I have horses, pigs and dogs and cows,” he said. “It keeps me busy when I'm not doing music.”
For Parish, music runs in the family. His father, Mikioi Parish, is a musician, who has played Rock and Roll, as well as Hawaiian and Gospel music.
“I was always inspired by the artists in Hawaiʻi before me,” Parish said. “I remember all the uncles around me always talking about so and so wrote this song. I thought it was cool that people always told their own stories. I was inspired by that. And I was always told, ʻIf you're going to do music, you need to create your own music. ... You need to write your own songs.ʻ”
He started to write music in elementary school. That continued when he moved to the Mainland to attend Linfield University in Oregon.
“I really took it to heart,” he said. “I kept writing. And I knew when I did a debut album, I wanted it to be all songs written by me. I wanted to have my hand in it and tell my story, tell my truth.”
When asked to describe how it felt to win so many awards in one night, there was a pause.
“Wow,” he said. “Just on a high, still. I'm feeling very grateful and blessed. And just the feeling of all the hard work, all the time spent into my craft — into writing my songs, into recording, into traveling — feeling overwhelmed and blessed. Overall feeling honored, feeling very honored.”
Follow Parish on Spotify, YouTube and Instagram. Get tickets for upcoming shows: kalaemusic.com.
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
