Hi'ikua

G - J

Mar 15

Written By lezlee kaaihue

Trio | Hawaiian Taditional & Contemporary Music

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Hi'ikua - (L-R) Blake Leoiki-Haili, Dr. Kalehua Krug, and Dr. Kamuela Kimokeo

Hiʻikua is a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning Hawaiian music trio recognized for its rich falsetto harmonies and virtuosic instrumentation. The group has performed across the United States and internationally, sharing a sound that is deeply rooted in tradition while thoughtfully carried forward into the present. Grounded in a deep sense of kuleana, Hiʻikua honors the legacy of the musicians who came before them while embracing their responsibility to create and share new musical stories for future generations. The trio features Blake Leoiki-Haili, Dr. Kalehua Krug, and Dr. Kamuela Kimokeo, who together uplift Hawaiian music through performance, education, and composition.

Hi'ikua At A Glance

Based in: Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Style: Hawaiian Music - Traditional & Contemporary
Band Members: Blake Leoiki-Haili, Dr. Kalehua Krug, and Dr. Kamuela Kimokeo,
Instruments: Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Vocal
Performs: Trio and collaborative live settings

Highlights

Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award Winner - Ka Leo Kūpuna earned the 2025 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Hawaiian Single of the Year
Nā Hōkū Hanohano Haku Mele Award - Hiʻikua’s 2012 recording Aia I Hiʻialo

Live Performance

Photos

Listen Here

Liste to 2025 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Hawaiian Single of the Year: Ka Leo Kūpuna below

Meet The Voices Of Hi'ikua

Dr. Kamuela Kimokeo is the Director of the Music Program at Windward Community College. His doctoral work centers on the empowering potential of mele composition. He leads an innovative online Hawaiian Music certificate for the Ka‘ohekani program, collaborating with some of Hawaiʻi’s most respected artists and educators to prepare the next generation of musicians and teachers. The HKF’s Hawaiian Music Scholarship Fund helps provide financial support for students pursuing the program.

Blake Leoiki-Haili is a sheet metal superintendent for Heidi & Cooke and a lifelong musician who has performed alongside Kamuela Kimokeo since intermediate school. Outside of music, Blake is dedicated to his ʻohana, supporting his two sons in their athletic pursuits and cultivating kalo in his māla in Kahaluʻu.

Dr. Kalehua Krug Principal of Ka Waihona o ka Naʻauao Hawaiian Charter School, Kalehua is a passionate educator & cultural advocate committed to the protection of Hawaiʻi’s sacred spaces. His musical contributions include the award-winning composition “Kuʻu Hoa Hiʻikua,” which earned a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Haku Mele Award.

About the Ka‘ohekani Music Program at WCC

The Kaʻohekani Hawaiian Music Program at Windward Community College is a one-year, cohort-based certificate designed to train teachers across all subject areas to use music as a powerful tool for instruction and engagement. Grounded in the belief that mele can deepen learning, the program equips educators with practical strategies to integrate Hawaiian music into subjects such as science, history, language arts, and more - helping students connect to content through culture, creativity, and expression. Participants compose original songs for use in their own classrooms, transforming lessons into meaningful, culturally relevant experiences. This program, led by Dr. Kamuela Kimokeo, is deeply grateful for its partnership with the Henry Kapono Foundation, whose Hawaiian Music Scholarship helps expand access and opportunity for teachers and community members across Hawaiʻi.

Hiikua

lezlee kaaihue