Kealiʻi Reichel
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Carleton Lewis Kealiinaniaimokuokalani Reichel (born June 26, 1962) popularly known as Kealii Reichel (pronounced ), is a singer, songwriter, choreographer, dancer, chanter, scholar, teacher, and personality from
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. He has spent his life educating the world about Hawaiian culture through music and dance. Reichel was born and raised on the island of
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
. He grew up in the town of
Lahaina Lahaina (; ) or Lāhainā is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. On the northwest coast of the island of Maui, it encompasses Lahaina town and the Kaanapali, Hawaii, Kaanapali and Kapalua, Hawaii, Kapalua beac ...
where he attended
Lahainaluna High School Lahainaluna High School is a public high school serving grades 9–12, located in Lahaina on the island of Maui. Operated by the Hawaii Department of Education, Lahainaluna High School is also a public boarding school. It was founded in 1831 as ...
, however he spent weekends and summers with his maternal grandmother in the plantation town of Pāia.Reichel Short Biography Official Website; At the age of 24, Reichel was convicted of theft, and was sentenced to community service, which involved a study of Hawaiian culture. This marked a turning point in his life, as he decided to devote the rest of his life to the study and promotion of Hawaiian culture. Reichel was one of the founding directors for Punana Leo O Maui, a Hawaiian language immersion pre-school. He has taught Hawaiian culture and language at the
University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
's Maui Community College, and he was the Cultural Resource Specialist and curator at the
Bailey House Museum Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House (House of Display at Old Bailey House, formerly and commonly the Bailey House Museum) is a museum of Hawaiian history and art located in Wailuku, on the island of Maui, in Hawaii. It is owned and operated ...
in Wailuku.


Hawaiian mele (music)

Reichel studied Hawaiian dance and vocals under Kumu ula(dance instructor/choreographer/master) Pekelo Day and Pualani Kanakaole Kanahele, daughter of the kumu
hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (''oli'') or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), ''mele''). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli ...
and Hawaiian scholar "Aunty" Edith Kanakaʻole. He later founded his own hālau hula (Hawaiian dance school) Halau hula o ka Makani Wili Makaha o Kauaula now called Halau Kealaokamaile. He founded this hālau at the age of 18 after graduating from Lahainaluna High School In 1994, at the age of 32, he recorded and released a collection of Hawaiian traditional and contemporary music entitled ''Kawaipunahele'' on his own Punahele Productions record label, and began his career as a Hawaiian music superstar. Reichel's subsequent albums, ''Lei Halia'' (1995), E ''O Mai'' (1997), and ''Melelana'' (1999), placed him securely at the top of the Hawaiian music entertainment industry. He is also featured in two anthology albums released by his record label, ''Pride of Punahele'' (1998) and ''Pride of Punahele 2'' (2003). In 2004, his album of the previous year, ''Ke'alaokamaile'' (2003), won four of the top awards at the 27th Annual a Hoku Hanohano Awards(Hawaii's regional equivalent of the Grammy Awards) including Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Hawaiian Album of the Year and Song of the Year. Reichel also won big at the 38th annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in 2015, with his album of the previous year, ''Kawaiokalena''. He won five of the top awards: Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Hawaiian Album of the Year and Entertainer of the Year and Hawaiian Language Songwriting and Performance. This release was also nominated for a Grammy the same year. Reichel's style most often includes vocals over a guitar, bass, and ukulele ensemble but may also include a Western (European-American) string quartet violin, viola and cello or traditional pre-1778 Hawaiian instruments. His vocals include Hawaiian language chanting and singing in both Hawaiian and English. Stage performances include dance in both traditional and modern hula forms. He also plays the guitar.


In theater

Reichel performed in the Maui Youth Theater production of
Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...
as Judas Iscariot and in the Maui Academy of Performing Arts production of
Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...
as Jesus.


International recognition

Reichel currently has contracts with
JVC Victor is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Entertainment operates the R ...
Entertainment and
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
/ Time-Warner. Kealii Reichel's consistent placement in
Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...
's World Music Charts has garnered him international attention. He has opened concerts for
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...
,
LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at the age of 13 and has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Christian, and o ...
,
Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...
, and
Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...
. In addition to his regular concerts in Hawaii, he has toured the United States mainland playing in such places as New York at
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
and Town Hall,
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
,
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
,
Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...
,
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...
, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle and toured internationally with concerts and workshops in the South Pacific, Europe and Asia where he performs to sold out audiences. Reichel is known not only for his artistry as a performer, songwriter and recording artist, but also for his work as an ambassador of Hawaiian culture to the rest of the world.


Personal life

Reichel is married to Krauss.


Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.Berger, John"A night of Na Hoku Hanohano" ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. May 22, 2011.Haug, Kawehi"Hoku awardees shine ...

Favorite Entertainer of the Year *1995, 1996, 2000, 2007, 2015 Male Vocalist of the Year *1995, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2015 Most Promising Artist of the Year *1995 Album of the Year *1995 ''Kawaipunahele'', 2000 ''Melelana'', 2004 ''Keʻalaokamaile'', 2014 ''Kawaiokalena'' Anthology Album of the Year *2006 ''Kamahiwa: The Kealiʻi Reichel Collection Vol. 1'' Song of the Year *2004 ''Ka Nohona Pili Kai'' Hawaiian Album of the Year *1995 ''Kawaipunahele'', 1996 ''Lei Haliʻa'', 2000 ''Melelana'', 2004 ''Keʻalaokamaile'', 2014 ''Kawaiokalena'' Haku Mele (new Hawaiian language composition; award to the composer ) *''Kuu Pua Maeole'' (to Keali'i Reichel) 1996, ''Nematoda'' (to Puakea Nogelmeier) 1998 Liner Notes Award *2000, 2004, 2006, 2009 Music Video DVD of the Year *2008 ''Kukahi – Live in Concert''


Discography

*''Kawaipunahele'' (1994), Punahele Productions *''Lei Hali'a'' (1995), Punahele Productions *''E O Mai'' (1997), Punahele Productions *''Melelana'' (1999), Punahele Productions *''Ke'alaokamaile'' (2003), Punahele Productions *''Sweet Island'' (2005), Punahele Productions *''Maluhia'' (2006), Punahele Productions *''Kawaiokalena'' (2014), Punahele Productions


References


External links


Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reichel, Kealii 1961 births Living people American male dancers American male singers Songwriters from Hawaii Native Hawaiian musicians Native Hawaiian people People from Maui Singers from Hawaii Lahainaluna School alumni Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners American male songwriters