Keahiwai - biography

Lei was in the seventh grade and Mailani was in the sixth when they first met at Maryknoll Schools. Lei, known as 'Jaymie' back then to Mailani, was just the new girl at school with the really long hair. It just so happened that they had something in common - basketball. By the very next year the two were your average intermediate school girls getting into trouble for gossipping on the phone too late at night. When Lei left the gradeschool campus to move onto high school the two still kept in touch as friends and basketball teammates. Over the years their friendship only grew stronger. They've seen each other through the hardest of times and the best of fun.

They were friends for almost six years before they finally joined together in music. Neither had mentioned their musical abilities before Lei's senior year in high school. Only thier fellow Spartans will recall the first time they two ever performed in front of a real live audience. It was just a talent contest at school for May Day, but they won. That day a seed was planted and grew to become what we all know now as 'Keahiwai.' With the help of producers and friends, Aaron Kimura and Jon Yamasato, Keahiwai released their first album " Local Girls" in May 2001. The album earned them five Na Hoku Hanohano Award nominations - two of which they walked home with in 2002. they followed it up with another CD "Satisfied" later that year which was also nominated for a Na Hoku Hanohano Award.