Kalaߵe Camarillo
Bio
Kala'e Camarillo
Born and raised in Kihei, Maui, Kala'e Camarillo comes from a family of music educators and entertainers. His grandfather, George Camarillo, started the first ʻukulele band in Hawai'i public schools at Waiakea Intermediate. His father, Rama, followed in his footsteps by becoming an ʻukulele teacher as well. In addition, his mother, Cora, is the sister of multi Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner Lehua Kalima of Nā Leo Pilimehana, and his great uncle is the late ʻukulele virtuoso, Jesse Kalima. At the age of seven, Kala'e's father taught him to play the 'ukulele, which led to him picking up other instruments like the guitar, bass, and piano. At Kamehameha Schools Maui, Kala'e and his cousin Dane Lum Ho won the statewide band competition, "Band Champ," a Tom Moffat Production, and awarded the opportunity to open for two internationally bestselling and iconic acts: America and The Stylistics.
In 2009, Kala'e moved to O'ahu to attend the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and graduated with a degree in Elementary & Special Education. His passion for music and education led him to become a professional musician and third-generation music teacher (Kapalama Elementary). Kala'e entered the local music scene as the lead 'ukulele player and vocalist for Simply Sedd (with 'Olu Campbell & Christian Taum) and became finalists in the Kani Ka Pila Grille Talent Search. Today, he occasionally performs with his older brother, Kamaka, as the Camarillo Brothers and as a solo performer. Most recently, Kala'e began performing alongside the legendary Robi Kahakalau (known for many of her hit songs, such as Pi'i Mai Ka Nalu, Makua, Keiki O Ka 'Aina, Love & Honesty, etc.). His 2017 debut album entitled "Working Man" garnered Kala'e a nomination at the prestigious 2018 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards (Hawai`i Grammys) for one of Hawai'i's "Most Promising Artists."
His 2019 sophomore album entitled "Feel at Home" won the 2020 Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for "Contemporary Acoustic Album of the Year." In 2022, Kala'e released his third project, a 6 track EP entitled "Child of These Islands." This project garnered 5 nominations at the Na Hoku Hanohano awards in the following categories: EP of The Year, Christmas Single of The Year, Favorite Entertainer of The Year, Song of The Year (Old Kihei), and Male Vocalist of the Year. Out of the five nominations, he took home two awards for EP & Christmas Single.
His most recent release, "Sands of Old Lahaina," (2023) a song he wrote for the people of Lahaina two days after the wildfires, earned him Na Hoku Hanohano awards for Song of the Year, Single of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, giving him a total of 6 Hoku awards.