Kalani Pe'a On Hawaiian Meaning Of Peace

A talk with 2 time Grammy Award winner Kalani Pe'a. We talk about Hawaiian culture, the meaning of Peace, and Aloha. It's very interesting conversation on interpretation on the understanding the word Maluhia, being meaning under protection and safe. Deep insight into the way we practice Aloha and Peace.

Transcript

It is so,

So wonderful to be able to be joined by my friend,

Two-time Grammy Award winner,

Multi-Nahoku Hanoi nominee and award winner and a true inspiration for so many people around the world,

A cultural ambassador of aloha,

Mr.

Kalani Peya.

What an honor to see you here,

Looking so purplicious.

Cindy's so beautiful to all of us,

Yes she is.

I love you.

I'm so happy to be with you.

When you were young,

You stuttered and how old were you when you realized that this was an issue and music could help you?

My mom realized I couldn't say in full sentences at two years old.

And so she put me through speech therapy and I did not like the speech therapist at all.

I don't think she was culturally developmentally appropriate for a two year old.

She'd be like,

She had this big eyeglasses.

I remember her in this big muumuuu,

And she'd be like,

Kalani,

Say this.

I'm like,

Oh gosh,

You're strict.

So my mom pulled me out of speech therapy.

The doctors diagnosed that I had a speech impediment and I couldn't,

And I'll catch myself often,

But I had to overcome that by taking music classes,

Like learning how to play piano or learning how to play the guitar or learning about music theory and ear training at four years old.

So two years later,

My mom realized my speech improved over time and I stopped stuttering because mentally,

In my conscious mind and self,

I had to spiritually and emotionally reconnect myself as a child and tell myself I am normal.

It's okay to have some sort of disability as a child.

And I think,

I don't know if it was the medications that mothers were taking in the 80s,

A lot of these kids came out with speech impediments and I,

They're still investigating this over 30 years,

But we can't assume that it was medicine.

So I had to overcome personally and emotionally and spiritually overcome this challenge by taking music.

And my mom would put me in,

In these suits and ties,

And I would see in the middle of the mall for talent shows or for charity charity walks.

I've done a lot of singing for the American Cancer Association and for patches,

I would serenade in these oversized suits,

These suits that were so big that I looked like,

I literally looked horrible,

But my mom pushed me.

It was my mom and my dad is a professional bass player who played with the Lims,

The Lims,

The Lim family in a Mauna Kea Beach hotel in the 70s.

So I come from a musical background,

But none of my family members did recording.

So I just sang with the family and learned music that way.

Hawaiian contemporary soul music.

My dad played the bass.

My grandfather was a baritone opera singer.

My auntie,

Momi Pia played the piano.

My auntie Beverly came from a choir.

So my auntie Debbie Pia played the saxophone and flute.

So my family are musically inclined,

But my mom was the one,

You know,

You have that mother that,

I call it the pageant mom,

Yeah?

The mom that pushes you to do what they kind of want you to do,

But we have to individually,

You know,

Personally find that passion within.

And I went to college to take music in the first two years and I told myself,

I can't make 40 grand a year teaching music in the department of education.

So I changed my degrees into communication because of the speech problem.

I felt if I majored in mass comm,

I would be the best PR person for what?

I don't know,

Alamo or maybe be the public relations specialist for Cindy Paulos on Maui,

For KOI,

For radio station.

I don't know.

I knew I had a future ahead of me.

I didn't know what it was until five years ago when I recorded my first album and it took off from there.

You know,

As you were speaking,

I could see actually how you did at that time when you were young and as you develop,

Made that somehow that interconnection to who you really are.

You're such a powerful soul that you were able,

You were able to connect with that and use that energy and channel it as you do through your music now and through when you perform.

You are an amazing entertainer.

Now,

You know,

A lot of people who had stuttered,

Even like some of the kings,

The royal family,

There were a couple who studied,

But and,

You know,

Joe Biden stuttered as well.

But a lot of people who have are fairly timid if they're going to be in front of a lot of people.

But you are,

You step out on that stage and you just shine your love and your energy so fearlessly and so full of love.

Is there a key that you find that just puts you in that place where you are able to go out and do these amazing things in front of so many people fearlessly?

I get nervous all the time.

But what all the time.

But what my mom taught me at eight years old for my very first talent show,

She says,

If you get nervous,

Think about it.

Think about all the people in the audience and change their head in your head,

In your mind.

Make ensure that you're singing in the front of a cabbage field,

A full field full of cabbage heads so that you don't even think that you're seeing in front of people.

Think of it that they're all little cabbages placed in front of you.

And I'm like cabbage.

OK,

All right.

OK,

Well,

But it helped me.

So I had to overcome my fear and overcome for me.

Like I actually had I was I would be I would have a high fever and be really,

Really sick entering in talent shows and then winning first place and whatever as a child.

But I did it because I love music and music was part of me and who I am.

And my family was part of molding or part of my identity and part of who I am,

Shaping my identity as a musician.

So I basically grew up in this in this time where I had to do it because my grandfather sang and my dad played music and my mom loved music.

And she she was that pageant mom and she wanted me to do she wanted me to be who I am today.

And am I happy?

Of course.

Like,

Was I confused?

Yeah,

I thought I wasn't ready to record music,

But my other half,

My husband had created this.

This memory of mine back five years ago,

When we were in a bar here on Maui,

He says,

You have to stop singing me and Mrs.

Jones.

We've got a thing going on in Hawaiian English for free.

He was like,

You got to stop singing for free.

You have to write your music and you have this binder of all original music Kalani.

Why won't you record it?

And I didn't feel confident because I felt that I wasn't ready.

I felt that no one would perhaps appreciate my craft until until loved ones tell you it's okay to do it.

Try.

And the word try has been part of who I am when I was a teacher,

When I was four years old.

See,

If you try,

You can always see an outcome.

And if you don't try,

Then you won't see any outcome.

So the outcome of just trying has been positive so far.

Oh,

Very.

Yes,

I got to meet people like you,

City follows.

I got to build relationships with people in the Recording Academy,

The Hawaii Academy,

I get to meet fans across the globe,

Sell out shows,

Not because of selling out shows,

But because I get to share my message through my music.

Now,

You have found your today as we're recording at your anniversary,

Is that your third anniversary or your second anniversary today?

It's my one year wedding anniversary,

But we've been together for 12 years,

12 years.

And and you know,

It's so beautiful that you have found this love and each of you know,

Each other so well and support each other.

Were you at all nervous 12 years ago in thinking about well,

Where does this fit in my life?

And and were you hesitant to let people know that you were in love with Alan?

I think it's easier for us millennials,

My dad think us millennials are crazy.

He goes,

You guys,

You guys complain a lot,

But you guys get your work done.

And you've seen the generational change and how we go through change affecting our lives.

And how we go through change effectiveness with innovation and the advent of technology.

And through technology,

I was able to meet Alan and it was through my space,

Where he reached out to me and he was like,

I think he was checking me out first that and he,

We,

He we can admit that.

Look,

I'm going to stutter.

So the as I understand thinking about all of this,

He was the one that checked me out first.

No,

But um,

We met in Kona and he's a professional makeup artist,

Award winning makeup artists who did makeup for many celebrities.

And and he went to New York Fashion Week and was the art director there for a fashion designer.

So he has background in the fashion and industry.

But once he got into the music industry,

He had to learn with me how to build this incorporation,

Our pal records and an entertainment company.

We run everything on our own,

All social media content,

All digital marketing,

Wasn't hard.

It's a hard it's a hard thing to do.

And you don't have a label backing you up.

And we're all independent artists.

There were moments that I wanted to kind of give up four years ago because it was very difficult to make a living in the music industry,

Especially in the Hawaiian music industry.

But I didn't give up because it was my family,

Friends and fans,

All the FFS,

Right,

Family,

Friends and fans that keep me going,

That keeps me driven and motivated to to be passionate about my music.

It's the Hawaiian music.

It's the it's the intention,

The poetry and the music that I use.

I mean,

I can sit right here and write a song about us talking story,

You know,

Like I can write a song about talking story with Cindy right now.

You and I can write.

We're both composers.

So it's it's what we feel like the elements of Maui versus the people that surrounds us here on Maui or those people we love and the places we love here in Maui allows us to create that melody and that arrangement.

And then it becomes a song and then it becomes a story.

And then from the story,

We make that personal connection with people around the globe.

And then when we make that personal connection,

Other people make other personal connections.

And so our story continues on and we build these bridges across the world.

And that is the beauty of music.

Music is healing and is medicine for me as a former a former child who stutters.

And I will catch myself often,

But I had to I had to I had to overcome that by writing music and singing.

And it is still a challenge.

But but when I look at you,

Cindy,

I can stop all the stuttering in the world.

I see your soul so beautifully,

Not only through that,

But through your music.

And you have an interesting,

Very sensitive side to yourself,

As well as it's very bold and a fearless side.

So I see this amazing combination of sensitivity,

Which of course is where your music and creativity left times people who are creative,

Such as you are very sensitive souls.

At the same time,

It's amazing to be expansive beyond belief.

And it's an interesting balance.

I mean,

Do you do you hide that sensitive side of yourself?

Or do you just is it just for you and your husband or you and a couple friends?

Or what do you because I've seen that sensitive side of you come out sometimes?

It Yes,

Um,

I think,

You know,

It's easy.

Again,

It's easier for me to be an openly gay Hawaiian liberal man.

I was raised to be outspoken.

My father and mother are strong,

God fearing people who I'm a third generation LDS come from a Mormon family that loves me.

Alan comes from the LDS family.

They love him.

They don't love us because of our of our of our fame and richness.

They love us for being who we are.

And so if we have that support system,

We can continue being who we want to be.

But if we don't have that support system,

We know that there are other people who can support us and support our mission and our vision to be happy,

Happily married,

To be good to people,

To be kind to people,

To be both benevolent in our community and giving and to be contributors to our society.

That is what I was taught.

So it wasn't really difficult for me to be comfortable in my own skin.

My parents allowed me and molded me to be comfortable to be confident,

Modest and good to people.

My grandparents always said,

Be good to people,

Because people will be good to you.

And that is such a method.

That's my biggest mantra in life is to be good to people so other people be good to me.

So I love gift giving or whether I love having quality time,

Spending time with you,

Having lunch in beautiful Wailea.

That to me is a love language.

That's that to me.

That is my sensitive side.

I am a I am a human like everyone else.

People think that I'm overly confident in what I do.

People assume things.

But I let people think the way they want to think until they get to know me,

Because they don't know my heart.

You know,

They don't know who I am until they really get to sit and have a drink of coffee or have a English muffin with me.

They get to really truly get to know who I am,

The authentic side of me through my music and how I am and how I think of things.

People assume once you're a Grammy winner or a Hoku winner,

Oh,

You act a certain way or you think you're better than people.

But I think we're all going to face obstacles and we're all going to face adversaries.

Every time we do things that seems to be amazing or spectacular,

Right?

People are going to try to bring you down no matter what.

So on the sensitive side,

Yes,

It'll it'll hurt people.

It'll hurt people because I'm just a human.

And to overcome all of those challenges,

We must surround ourselves with like-minded and valuable people that will lift your light and that will be part of your light.

And that's part of my objective or goal is to be surrounded by like-minded,

Valuable people.

And you are and you carry that.

I wanted to talk to you because I started the Peace Projects about after I got the UNESCO Peace Project Award,

Actually it was a Peace Award.

Congratulations.

Cindy Palos.

What should I really do?

I like to talk and I like to do interviews.

So I really respect your deep knowledge of Hawaiian culture.

And I would like to ask,

Maluhia is the word of peace,

Isn't it?

For an Ihuanian language.

And can you explain Maluhia and in your understanding in Ihuanian,

What Maluhia means to you?

What Maluhia means to me is when we dissect the word malu,

Ahia is to see or to observe of something.

But malu is a shade of protection.

So if I'm in my mother's malu,

If I stand in her shade,

In her protection,

I'm part of her shade,

In her protection,

I'm part of her protection.

Malu means protected by something that will not harm you.

And when you say maluhia,

There's when you are protected by some object or subject or thing,

To me,

Malu,

I'm protected.

I'm comfortable.

I am at peace,

Maluhia.

I am calm.

I am collected.

And I'm comfortable being in the presence of someone shade who is basically protecting me,

Protecting my soul,

Protecting my body.

So my parents are part of my maluhia.

My grandparents are part of my maluhia.

God is part of my maluhia.

And I hope and bring peace.

I hope that our music brings peace and unity and maluhia to the world during these trying and tough times.

Music right now is what people need to hear.

It's part of their maluhia.

So that's what maluhia means to me.

That's a beautiful,

Beautiful description.

And you know something,

I was not aware of that definition.

And it makes me really want to just sit and make taste on that protection.

You know,

I've been doing lots of talks on peace and coming to terms with peace comes up often.

How people even have inner negotiations with themselves about finding peace.

You know,

Sometimes it includes forgiveness.

But that's that when you say maluhia,

It's all of a sudden,

It brings to my vision,

My picture of myself of letting go to that protection,

Letting go to God or to your mother or letting go to trust.

So I'm seeing how maluhia to your understanding and the Hawaiian culture brings you this letting go in a way and trust and faith,

I guess in that protection,

Right?

Absolutely.

Maluhia,

You have to,

I don't know if you have to experience something so horrible to just be at peace at yourself.

I mean,

I think all of us have our what I'm trying to elaborate on or exemplify on the word maluhia.

We,

We often have our own personal trials and tribulations.

And whether it's financial crisis,

Or whether it's relationship issues,

Or whether we have,

We're dealing with other personal issues.

We all find we all you know,

My grandmother would always say this,

My paternal grandmother,

Mary Kaiawe Pea,

Manuia Pea,

And she passed away 20 years ago.

And she was a God fearing,

God fearing woman of the matriarch of her family.

She would say,

Nani amai ka'i,

There is beauty all around.

Meaning in this song,

Nani amai ka'i,

Which I recorded on my first album to honor her.

I would I would like to sing this part.

Nani ka'la mai ka'i,

She goes today's beautiful,

Be grateful.

Nani ka'la mai ka'i,

Nani ka'hui ana,

Ma ke yahalawai.

She would say,

Through all the trials and tribulations,

Through thunder,

Lightning,

Rain,

Sunshine,

And the rainbow,

There is beauty all around.

We there's gold beyond the rainbow.

There's gold through thunders,

There you can find the pot of gold through the hurricane seasons,

Through the rain.

When people say,

Oh,

It's ugly day today.

She would always say,

Every element that you face,

There's beauty all around.

We should be grateful to be living in this time and space.

Because it's life.

And when there's when the tides move,

When the ocean currents change,

We move with the ocean movement.

And the tide changes.

Because that's part of who we are as people.

We have to move when the current moves.

We have to shift when the earth shifts.

When the earth when there's earthquakes,

There's earthquake,

We move with Pele,

We move with the aina.

And my grandmother would always say,

Be grateful what you have,

Because there's beauty all around.

Nani on my height.

I have learned another beautiful,

Beautiful concept from this because there really is this oneness.

And again,

Your focus when you see the beauty all around,

You are lifted and aware of that beautiful energy which takes you out of the storm,

It takes you out of the conflict.

It puts you in that presence of beauty.

And that presence is there in the aloha you feel,

Isn't it?

There's a presence in aloha.

There's a living presence in the word,

Even with the energy that you convey in your aloha,

Isn't there?

Correct.

You know,

Aloha and as we identify ha,

The H-A kahakou,

Which is also separate from the word aloha,

Because aloha is being connected to someone close to you.

Aloha,

You are like you're facing head to head with someone and building connection.

And the ha is the breath of life.

So when we are evidently walking through Iyaw Valley or on the top of the Wawaakua of Haleakala and observing the beauty of that area,

We are breathing in the life of our ancestors and forefathers and those who have came before us.

And we appreciate that time and space.

We are breathing in that moment.

And we are acknowledging the fact that we come from a place of beauty and resonance and love and aloha and our cultural upbringing and our Hawaiian cultural values and practices are instilled in each and every one of us here on Maui and throughout Hawaii and throughout the world.

And when people come to our aina,

They want to be,

They want to dive into our cultural upbringing,

Right?

They want to see the malay,

The hula.

They want to see what we eat and how we interact.

They want to hear the pigeon from our,

You know,

They want to hear that accent that comes from all of us.

They want to drink what we drink because I call Hawaii,

We're the heart of the world.

You know,

We live,

I call it the pico.

We live in the umbilical cord of the world.

People come to Hawaii to explore Hawaii and to embrace aloha because they see the love of,

The love that we share through our land,

Through our cultural values,

Our cultural resources,

And they embrace that.

And they take that experience and try their best to share it with their people in their community.

It may not be the same experience of what they got here in Hawaii,

But that's always,

You know,

When I gave a lei of love,

A lei signifies love or accomplishment,

Right?

Or there's so much more meaning when you give someone an offering of a lei.

When I gave two bros lei to some of the Grammy award-winning friends and some of our Grammy nominees,

Or my first Grammy-nominated winning album,

Ewa Lea,

That's the only thing they remember is Kalani Pe'a's music is beautiful,

But what's embedded in my memory is the lei of love that he placed upon me and the fragrance of that flower takes me back to the certain time period where I traveled to Hawaii.

So when we breathe all of this,

Right,

Within the fragrance of the flowers,

When we feel the stream in Iau Valley,

When we touch the shoreline of Kamaole,

We make that personal connection.

And it's a spiritual connection that would not take,

That would not break us at all.

That spiritual connection creates a bond between you and that element.

And that to me is beyond the word aloha.

That to me is Hawaii.

It's who we are.

So beautiful,

Such a beautiful way of expressing it.

I have to thank you because you not only do this,

But I know a lot of people,

I know a lot of musicians and other peoples and writers.

You're famous,

Cindy Paulo.

Because,

You know,

I want to thank you for your professionalism.

You have an amazing commitment to showing up and looking your best and being ready and,

No,

And being present and in something in you.

Again,

Maybe it goes back to your roots and your parents and grandparents,

But you have this amazing ability to put on the best show you can put on,

To look as good as you can look,

To give all you can give.

And I have to bow to you for that because I recognize that's not an easy thing.

And you have a very busy schedule and you still always are committed to what you're doing 100%.

And I recognize that.

And I can't really thank you enough because your reaches are so beautiful and you impact so many people in such a positive way.

And I just want to say mahalo to you and to your beloved ones and your family and all those who support you because you are giving back,

100% back,

Everything that you have gained back to others to share what you've gotten.

So that's one of the highest practices.

So a big,

Big,

Big thank you to you,

My friend.

You too.

And you,

When you write your books too and your music,

You bring maluhia into our hearts.

And I think we need more of that,

Especially during these times of in differences or times of difficulties and challenges that we're facing.

I think our music and our words and our passion gives hope and peace,

Maluhia,

To the world.

And like my grandmother would always say,

Nani amaikai,

There's beauty all around.

Mahalo,

My friend.

Mahalo.

And I'm going to go take a walk and ee out and think of that.

I love you.

I love you too.

So wonderful.

Cindy Paulos.

Yeehaw.