Natalie Ai Kamau is 'still in the dream' over second Grammy nomination

Feb. 5—Natalie Ai Kamauu isn't navigating unknown territory in Los Angeles today as a Grammy Awards finalist. She hit that mark once before in 2016.

Natalie Ai Kamauu isn't navigating unknown territory in Los Angeles today as a Grammy Awards finalist. She hit that mark once before in 2016. But her current nomination, for the album "Natalie Noelani, " brings with it a new experience for Kamauu, one of five contenders in the best regional roots music category. Yes, a win would make her the first female to take the category as a solo artist, but ­Kamauu said the most important thing for her is that this time she feels like she belongs there.

"The first time I felt like a fish in a big tank, this time we feel like I belong, " Kamauu said in a recent call from Japan, where she and her husband, recording artist Iolani "Io " Kamauu, are playing music, promoting the album and teaching hula. "It's not because I think that I'm gonna win. It's just I feel more like I belong.

"I just feel like it is an incredible opportunity to represent Hawaii, to stand on a stage and sing Hawaiian music to lovers and creators of music from around the world and for them to hear Hawaiian music and (know ) that we belong there. With every other genre, we belong."

Kamauu received her previous Grammy nomination in 2016 for the album, "La La La La." It was one of the four albums that had earned her consecutive wins for female vocalist of the year at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, along with another Hoku in 2014 for co-producing her anthology album, "Eia."

Raised on Oahu, Kamauu took to the stage early in life as a hula dancer, winning the 1990 Miss Aloha Hula title at the Merrie Monarch Festival dancing for her parents' halau, Halau Hula Olana. She grew up singing with family at home and launched her professional music career in 2005 when she started her own record label, Keko Records.

In Los Angeles today, Kamauu will not only be representing Hawaii musically but visually as well ; she's wearing a gown designed by her son, Chaz Kamauu, and ­Hawaii-themed jewelry by Maui Divers.

"Natalie Noelani " is up against two albums representing the musical traditions of Louisiana : "Full Circle " by Sean Ardoin & Kreole Rock and Soul featuring LSU Golden Band from Tigerland, and "Lucky Man " by Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas. The other nominees are "Live at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival " by Ranky Tanky, and "Halau Hula Keali 'i O Nalani—Live at the Getty Center " by Los Angeles-­based kumu hula Keali 'i ­Ceballos and Halau Hula ­Keali 'i O Nalani with the Daniel Ho Trio.

Ranky Tanky won the category in 2020 ; the quintet specializes in modern arrangements of the traditional Gullah music created by African slaves and their descendants in the American southeast.

Ho is a high-profile island expat based in Los Angeles and a prolific musician, composer, recording artist and multi-Grammy-winning record producer.

This nomination is a special one for Ho.

"It's exciting for me that this is (the halau's ) debut album because the halau is nominated, and I think they're the first halau to be nominated, " Ho said in January on a call from Los Angeles. He and Ceballos have been friends for 20 years, and when Ceballos mentioned the April performance at Getty Center, Ho suggested a live album. The album grew into an ­additional film project documenting the halau's rehearsal process. The album was released in August, and when it became a Grammy finalist, Ho and Ceballos decided to extend the documentary to include the halau's experiences before and after the ceremony.

While the biggest awards will be presented during the televised 64th Annual Grammy Awards, the winners in most categories—including best regional roots album—will be announced during the nontelevised Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony.

Ho is no stranger to the winner's podium. He and his label, Daniel Ho Creations, dominated a previous best Hawaiian music album category almost from its inception in 2005.

Then came the Recording Academy's decision after the 2011 Grammys to eliminate 31 categories, including the one for Hawaiian music, and the genre was relegated to a broader regional roots music category created in 2011 along with Cajun, zydeco, Native American and Canadian First Nations music, and anything else the decision-­makers decided to put there. Four other categories of roots ­music—Americana, blues, bluegrass and folk—continue to have separate award categories.

Louisiana-based "roots " artists received a majority of the finalist nominations since the category was created and won seven out of the 11 times they have been on the ballot through 2022. The exceptions are Ranky Tanky in 2020 and Hawaii's Kalani Pe 'a in 2017, 2019 and 2022.

However things turn out today, Kamauu sums up her feelings about her life in general with a single word : grateful.

"I didn't grow up thinking that I was going to be a singer. I really just wanted to be a journalist. And I thought I could be a journalist. Making the decision to be an artist was life-changing. It happened in a day—'I'm going to be a singer.' It was literally like that, " she said.

"I remember the first time I heard my song on the radio. Io and I were in Chinatown. He was in the car and I was outside, and he yelled out the window—'Your song is on the radio !' That was a complete dream. And I'm still in the dream. I'm still there. I'm still living it—with Io—and I'm just so grateful."