“Hazel Eyes Tour” expands, deepens fan base for Hawaiʻi’s Kolohe Kai
Hawaiʻi singer-songwriter Roman De Peralta of Kolohe Kai is bringing a new and more powerful energy to his concerts on his most recent “Hazel Eyes Tour.”
The tour builds on an already strong fan base, with more than 40 million internet streams of Kolohe Kai songs in one year alone.
The award-winning singer and songwriter showcases his newest work in a performance Sunday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.
With 11 new songs on his album “Hazel Eyes,” and his recent marriage, he has a lot to celebrate, and it shows in his uptempo music, including “Feel The Sunshine,” about his happy creative connection to the Hawaiian Islands, and “Catching Lightning,” about being patient and waiting for the right place at the right time to find genuine lasting love.
Both songs are rising rapidly into the hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
And yes, his wife has beautiful hazel eyes and is the inspiration of his latest album.
He’s used some of his low emotional moments to lift his music in a remarkable way — among his latest, “I Think You’re Beautiful,” an anti-bullying song selected to be the theme for the state of Hawaiʻi’s Mental Health Acceptance month in May.
“‘I think You’re Beautiful’ is a self-empowerment song I really wanted to write to encourage everyone to love themselves,” he said. “…It’s my mission to help victims of bullying to feel loved and beautiful.”
Roman, who attended public schools, said the original song is a spinoff of his own childhood struggle with low self esteem and being teased about his physical appearance between ages 8 to 12.
He graduated in 2010 from a public high school in Windward Oʻahu.
His father who played with friends in the family’s backyard taught him how to play the guitar and jam.
“I started writing my own songs and that’s what changed everything for me,” he said. “I entered a music class at school where I then met some of my present bandmates and we formed a band.”
Since signing with a record label at age 17, he has become one of Hawaiʻi’s most streamed reggae artist of the past decade with more than 40 million streams in 2020 alone.
Kolohe Kai’s album “Paradise” won a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards for Reggae Album of the Year in 2013 and his “Summer to Winter” in 2019 won Reggae Album of the Year at the Island Music Awards.
Kolohe Kai’s early singles “Ehu Girl” and “Cool Down” remain among his fan’s all-time most popular songs on Spotify at over 41 million combined streams.
After taking three years to create the new album which released this summer, Peralta said he has no plans to release anything else.
“We took a lot of time to bring this new album to life for the fans in person. We’re so excited,” he said. “It will without a doubt be our best performance yet. This I promise. We can’t wait!”
For more information about album including ticket purchases on Maui, go to mauiarts.org. The MACC Box Office is not open for window transactions but is open night of show for will call pick up. Online orders utilize print-at-home ticketing to facilitate touchless transactions. Tickets may also be downloaded to electronic devices for scanning upon entry into the venue. The Box Office is available for inquiries by email or phone (808-242-SHOW) Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To check other tour dates, you can go to kolohekaimusic.com.
Tour Dates:
- Aug. 20: Tacoma, WA,
- Sept. 10: Waikīkī Shell – Honolulu, HI
- Sept. 11: MACC A&B Amphitheater – Maui, HI
- Sept. 15: Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
- Sept. 16: McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
- Sept. 17: Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
- Sept. 22: Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA
- Sept. 23: Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA
- Sept. 24: Holo Holo Festival – Stanford, CA
- Sept. 26: Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
- Sept. 28: The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ
- Sept. 30: ʻOhana Fest – Dana Point, CA
- Oct. 1: Open Air Theatre – San Diego, CA
- Oct. 8: Reggae Rise Up – Las Vegas, NV
Sponsored Content
