AAF: Kulāiwi, Kaumakaiwa & Maya Piata

INDIGENOUS MUSIC ON THE MOVE
Kulāiwi, Kaumakaiwa & Maya Piata

This talented collective of award winning, talented performers, singers, songwriters, composers and cultural leaders was formed to connect kānaka (Native Hawaiians) to ‘āina (land) through mele (songs), the thread that binds the continuum of cultural knowledge. Soaring vocals, island harmonies, a folk vibe, and fun ‘talk story’ have won Kulāiwi four Hawaiian Grammys including Group of the Year, for their first album, Native Lands.

Award-winning singer and riveting performer Kaumakaiwa, from the renowned Kanakaʻole family, seamlessly melds Hawaiian culture and modern sensibilities in deeply powerful music and chant. A modern Hawaiian, she is a vibrant keeper of culture, and at the same time, an authentic innovator.

Maya Piata:
With a musical style inspired by her New Orleans Creole heritage, Ngāti Tūwharetoa whakapapa, African American, and Native American roots, Maya Piata will delight audiences with her unparalleled effervescence and vitality. For the Festival, she performs a mixture of original and well-loved songs in Aotearoa for the first time. Growing up in “The Big Easy” amidst a vibrant live music culture has impacted her career thus far and we can’t wait to share that energy and dynamism with Tāmaki Makaurau.