Kalani Kalani Pe’a’s (pictured) new album “Kuini,” pays tribute to some influential Hawaiian women, as well as honoring Lahaina. Photo Courtesy Lorne Direnfeld

Debuting at No. 1 on iTunes world music chart, Kalani Pe’a’s new album “Kuini,” pays tribute to some influential Hawaiian women, as well as honoring Lahaina. “This is my fifth release of a Hawaiian contemporary soul album,” Pe’a explains. “‘Kuini’ means queen. I want to honor our matriarchs and matrilineal powers and the women who have shaped my identity as a kanaka.”

Opening with an evocative chant to Ululani, a high chiefess of Hilo, he next highlights Kumu Hula Leialoha Ka’ula and Kaleialoha Beniamina with the lovely title track. “Leialoha Ka’ula gifted me my first Pupu O Ni’ihau, so I wanted to honor her and her legacy,” he says. “She gifted me lei, and it was also done by another powerful woman born and raised in Ni’ihau, Kaleialoha Beniamina.”

Featuring primarily original songs and a few covers, once again this three-time Grammy Award winner delivers an exceptional, memorable recording. Every album he has previously released has won a Grammy and/or Hoku award. His debut, “E Walea,” in 2017 won a Grammy, as did his second album, “No ‘Ane’i,” in 2019, followed by “Kau Ka Pe’a,” which also earned him Hokus for Male Vocalist and Song of the Year. In 2023, he won the Hoku for Contemporary Album for “Purple Christmas.” He is nominated for two 2024 Hokus for Single and Hawaiian Video for “Kuini (Ku’u Lei Aloha).”

One of the highlights of “Kuini,” the sublime “Malu ‘Ulu A’o Lele,” pays tribute to Lahaina. “I wrote that to honor Kihawahine, the mo’o goddess protector of Mokuhinia and Moku’ula,” he says. “I also wanted to honor the people of Lahaina. ‘Malu ‘Ulu A’o Lele’ talks about the beauty in the landscape of Lahaina.” He shines another track, “Ka Ua Pa’upili,” with lyrics by Ki’ope Raymond, which honors his mother and compares her to Lahaina’s Pa’upili rain.

Recorded in Kula at I-Vibe Studios, guest artists contributing include Jake Shimabukuro, Tiana Nonosina Liufau, Wailau Ryder, Michael Casil, Ron “Ruff” Boyce, and the Kamehameha Schools Maui Hawaiian Ensemble.

Among the covers, he honors the musical legacy of Lena Machado with “Ho’onanea,” arranged by Wailau Ryder. Jake Shimabukuro’s sparkling ukulele enhances Samuel K. Kamakaia’s classic “Ka Na’i Aupuni,” which celebrates the great chiefs of the islands, and Pe’a closes the album with one Dennis Kamakahi’s most beloved songs, “Koke’e.”

On previous records he typically included soulful covers of popular English language songs like “When I Fall in Love,” and “You Are so Beautiful.” None this time.

“People ask me if I’m going to do a famous cover like ‘You Are So Beautiful’ or whatever,” he says. “I had to go through a thought process and pray about what approach I’m going to take on this album because I really wanted to feature the women who have shaped our identities, and the women who play a pivotal role in my life and in my career.”

The striking album cover features the Maui musician in a regal pose wearing a crown. “Of course I had to wear a crown,” he says. “I know it’s pretty dramatic, but hey, if you want to be a queen, go be a queen. That crown was gifted to me by Maui Divers Jewelry.”

This multi-award winning artist hopes that his new recording “brings healing into the households of many here in Maui and throughout the world. I think music brings healing to us, and I feel post-COVID, post-wildfires, we need more music in our households. And as a Hawaiian language immersion graduate, being able to be inspired

and inspired by so many people to arrange and write music about people and places I love, I just do what my kupuna tell me to do.”

“Kuini,” is available on all digital platforms. Physical CDs can be ordered at Kalanipeamusic.com/shop.