Amy Hānaiali‘i
Bio
Amy Hānaiali'i's success as a recording artist speaks for itself. Evidenced by multiple awards and acknowledgments, Hanaiali'i has earned 6 GRAMMY® nominations for Best Hawaiian Music Album & Best Native Roots Music Album. Hānaiali’i's talent emerges from disciplined, classical training, fused powerhouse vocals, and honoring her family's worldly heritage and rooted ancestral responsibility. Amy's albums have garnered 18 Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards – Hawai’i's equivalent to the GRAMMY® awards.
Additionally, Hanaiali'i has played for the Dalai Lama, two inaugural balls in D.C. for President Obama, and the first entertainer ever to perform in the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square, China. She has played for sold-out crowds in Europe, Japan, and across America and French Polynesia. Hānaiali'i's Friends and Family album showcased a stunning duet with country music legend Willie Nelson and has performed live and opened for renowned artists like Earth, Wind and Fire, Carlos Santana, Boz Scaggs, Diana Krall, Joe Cocker, and many more. Additionally, her upcoming release features a duet with Michael McDonald. Hanaiali'i has played to sold-out shows at world-renowned venues: Blue Note Jazz Club New York and Japan, Feinstein’s/54 Below, Stern Grove, The Cutting Room, and numerous performances with Orchestras in Opera Houses worldwide. Hanaiali'i’s albums have validated commercial success by consistently placing her at the top of the World Album Billboard charts.
After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the U.S. Intl. University School of Performing and Visual Arts in San Diego, Amy spent time with her paternal grandmother, International Hawaiian superstar Jennie Nāpua Woodd. Undoubtedly her world-famous falsetto training and strict pronunciation lessons gave Amy beloved respect for Hawaiian Culture and Music, making her grandmother Nāpua one of the most influential people in her life. Woodd, one of the original Royal Hawaiian girls in Waikīkī, or Tūtū, as Amy affectionately calls her, helped shape the entertainment scene of Hawai’i as a Kumu Hula/Choreographer in Hollywood, Las Vegas, and NYC. Woodd worked on every Pacific-themed motion picture in the 1940s and 1950s, and her choreography defines that cinematic genre.
As a businesswoman and entrepreneur, Hānaiali'i garnered accolades from the Pacific Business News as their “40 under 40 Business Person of the Year” award, recognizing her talent and her business acumen needed to market her talent. Through her cultural practices and education, Hānaiali'i is recognized as a talented entertainer; she produced her 2020 Grammy and Nā Hōkū Hanohano nominated album, Kalawai'anui, and its official music videos. In addition, she launched three vintages of wine under her wine company Hānaialiʻi Wines, with her 2013 Merlot earning a 90 from Wine Spectator, The LA Wine Festival, and 5 Gold medals, followed by three new vintages released 2020-2021 to rave reviews. Additionally, her philanthropic efforts to preserve and perpetuate indigenous cultural practices, art, and community have resulted in invitations to sit on 3 Native Board Organizations: Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts, and Hui O Wa`a Kaulua.
Overall, Hānaiali'i 's success and cultural responsibility have provided her a clear recognition by Hawai’i’s music community and fans with universal acceptance.
Mauna Kea Ku'u Iwi Hilo (Official Video) Produced and Performed by Amy Hānaiali'i