Acclaimed musicians Raiatea Helm, Amy Hanaiali‘i and Napua Silva team up again. Courtesy photo

The Maui Divas are back! Multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winners and Grammy nominees Amy Hanaiali’i, Raiatea Helm and Kumu Hula Napua Silva have reteamed to present two free special performances Nov. 26 at the Royal Lahaina Resort.

“It’s for Lahaina,” says Amy Hanaiali’i. “Lahaina has had it really rough and we’re here to support any way that we can. If music can bring happiness for one night, we’re really happy to kokua that.”

The Divas concerts are part of free Kākoʻo Maui events at the Royal Lahaina, which includes the Nuff Sedd Trio, the Kilohana Hula Show and Lawakua beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 24; and Kulāiwi, the Kilohana Hula Show and Kalani Peʻa featuring Hālau Keʻalakahinano o Puna beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 25.

The trio of leading female artists first collaborated in 2011 for a show at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and reunited seven years later in 2018.

“It’s so great to have this sisterhood of women who have a lot in common,” says Raiatea Helm. “I’m looking forward to the reunion.”

We can expect them to perform individually in the first half and then collaborate. “We usually dedicate the first half to our individual sets, the songs that are classics that folks know us for,” Helm explains. “Normally, the second half is a bit of a surprise. That’s the other side of us. It’s not just the kumu hula or the Hawaiian Female Vocalist. This is the music that we grew up listening to. It’s not necessarily traditional Hawaiian leo ha’iha’i style. It’s the other side of us and people love it. It’s what we shared back in 2018. It’s always fun.”

The first solo female vocalist in Hawaii to receive a Grammy nomination, for “Sweet and Lovely,” at the age of 18, Helm became the youngest artist to receive a Hōkū for Female Vocalist of the Year for her “Far Away Heaven” debut. Her third CD, “Hawaiian Blossom,” earned her another Grammy nomination. She triumphed at the 2024 Hōkūs winning seven awards including Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Hawaiian Music Album and Hawaiian Language Performance for her remarkable “A Legacy Of Hawaiian Song & String Volume One.”

Helm recently returned to Hawaii from a successful tour of Japan after an eight-year absence.

“I went to Japan a lot in my early career. I was there for the big earthquake in 2011 and our tour was supposed to be in Fukushima and Sendai. Going back to Japan this time around, it was really nice, after eight years of not traveling because I went to school and COVID and my new job at the Lili’uokalani Trust.”

The Molokai-born musician was recently a judge at the Carmen Hulu Lindsey Leo Ha’iha’i Falsetto Contest at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. “All of this is coming around full circle because, of course, Napua’s mom is Aunty Hulu,” Helm notes. “She has been a very integral part of female vocalists, especially the leo ha’iha’i or falsetto style. She’s continuing to lead that. It’s an initiative, because there’s so much talent out there. But especially for women, we need a little extra boost to say, go out and do it. It’s about representing yourself, representing your family, your culture, and to make sure that this style is preserved and perpetuated.”

Hawaii’s top-selling female vocalist, Hanaiali’i has received multiple Hōkū awards. Her 18 wins include Female Vocalist of the Year four times, Album of the Year twice and Hawaiian Album of the Year three times. A six-time Grammy nominee, she is back on Maui after traveling to Norway and England tracing her genealogy for a future PBS Hawaii special.

“It’s called ‘Family Ingredients,’ and it traces genealogy through food,” she explains. “We went to Norway to do my mom’s genealogy.”

Then tracing her grandfather’s Woodd side in London, she discovered “my sixth great-grandfather was ordained in Westminster Abbey and he was a hymn writer. I traced the Woodd family back to 900.”

An acclaimed Kumu Hula of Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka, Silva was honored as Female Vocalist of the Year in 2008 for her lovely debut album, “Pihana,” which blended Hawaiian standards like Lena Machado’s “None Hula” with new compositions including a tribute to her sister Kahulu. Her impressive follow-up, “Mohalu,” won four Hōkū Awards in 2011 including Female Vocalist, Hawaiian Album and Favorite Entertainer. In 2018, she was nominated for 10 awards for “Makawalu.” Silva’s most recent album, “Home,” was nominated for Female Vocalist and Island Music Album.

It was Silva’s sister, Kumu Hula Kahulu Maluo, who inspired the three musicians to collaborate. “This all started because of Kahulu,” says Helm. “She was working at the MACC and it was kind of like a dream. We should bring these three wahine together who have roots in Maui and who knows what would come out of it? It ended up becoming something that we continually present.”

The trio are already making plans to present the Maui Divas beyond our shores. “We’ve been serious about doing more shows,” says Helm. “Perhaps taking it on the road, whether it’s Japan or the U.S. continent. We need to take it to Vegas. We need to take it to the Pacific Northwest, and bring some really good music. I think it’s a no-brainer.”

Presented in collaboration with Kākoʻo Maui and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Amy Hanaiali’i, Raiatea Helm and Napua Silva will perform as the Maui Divas at the Royal Lahaina Resort’s Branches venue on Nov. 26 with two shows at 6 and 7 p.m. Admission is free.