Amy Hanaiali‘i Live in Concert at Hapuna Prince

Courtesy image.

Five-time Grammy Award nominee Amy Hanaiali’i will perform live in concert at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. Presented by the Hawai‘i Performing Arts Festival, the concert is a scholarship fundraiser for 2018 Festival students.

Hanaiali’i is recognized as a Hawaiian music legend, winning 22 Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards, sometimes referred to as the Hawaiian Grammys. She is also a successful businesswoman. Her Napa Valley wines will be featured during the Oct. 7 concert.

Hanaiali‘i comes from a lineage of well-known Hawaiian entertainers. Her grandmother, Jennie Napua Haniaiali‘i Woodd, was one of the Royal Hawaiian Girls who entertained the iconic pink palace in Waikiki beginning in the 1930s. Woodd went on to perform at the Hawaiian Room at the Lexington Hotel in New York City where she inspired a love of Hawaiian culture and music. She also worked in Hollywood and is credited with teaching Shirley Temple how to do hula.

“I come from a few lines of very strong women,” Hanaiali‘i said. “These women have instilled very strong beliefs and core values about taking pride in being a cultural entertainer.”

Hanaiali‘i plans a show of her own at a Maui resort, recalling the story of her family.

“Preparing my new show room is really a lot to have on my plate,” she said. “I have 40 feet of holographic screens, we pipe in the fragrance of maile and pikake, ocean and rain. It’s spectacular. I start out with a Tina Turner song “Simply the Best” and I end with Prince’s “Purple Rain.” I take the audience back in time to the original Hawaiian Room in New York City. Of course, I have traditional Hawaiian mixed in. It is a show no one has ever seen.”

Tickets for Amy Hanaiali‘i’s  Oct 7. performance are $60 general admission and $95 for upfront seating, which includes a post-performance reception with the artist. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.HawaiiPerformingArtsFestival.org or by calling (808) 333-7378.

The concert is being sponsored by The Holland Foundation and the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.