Back for another Artist Radar, we direct our attention to Hawaiian singer-songwriter, Kimie Miner. She was first mentioned on The Pier in 2010 when she was featured on the song “How Does It Feel” from The Green‘s debut release. With music of her own, including a FREE MP3 in our MP3 Massive, read more to learn about Kimie…
Artist Radar: Kimie
Kimie is a fantastic up & coming artist making waves in the reggae, soul, acoustic realm. She has played on tour with Barrington Levy, Tubby Love, Mike Love, and The Green, just to name a few. At this year’s Cali-Roots festival in May, I finally got to see her perform live & the performance included a live proposal in the middle of Kimie’s set! The couple was made to look like they were chosen at random to come on stage, but secretly a man named Thomas had contacted Kimie and her team about 6 months ahead of time to arrange the proposal as Kimie was the favorite artist of Thomas’s now fiance.
Clearly love is in the air during Kimie’s soulful, melodic performances as she acknowledges that: “Love is so inspiring because it’s so unpredictable and confusing, but wonderful at the same time.”
Kimie is no stranger to the power of music, and she admits: “I fell in love with music as a child and it naturally just became apart of my life. No matter where I am in my life, I know I can always turn to music. My music is very personal to me and it was something I liked to keep to myself. I guess you could say I was a kind of a closet musician at first.” Kimie, who taught herself to play her Dad’s old guitar in high school continued on to say, “I think meeting reggae singer Barrington Levy changed that for me. The experience of being on stage and on the road with him really inspired me to pursue my own musical career.”
Kimie currently has two releases, including her 2009 debut album Distant Traveler, and her latest EP To The Sea (2013). We’ve been told she’s hard at work in the studio working on her third release.
“With this next album, I’m expanding on the type of music I love to play and I’m excited to be able to work with producer Billy Van on creating a new sound, while still being connected to my roots. Although my musical genre is not Hawaiian, it is rooted in Hawaiian music,” states Kimie. “No matter what we as Hawaiian people do, we should always have the perpetuation of our culture in mind.”
Since her last release, To The Sea in 2013, 2014 saw some major momentum for Kimie that includes playing a major festival with Cali-Roots. It has also given her time to write and collaborate with tons of talented artists and producers across the board.
“Collaborating with everyone, not only influenced my music, but has allowed me to become more adventurous with it as well. Aside from island reggae and Hawaiian music, I am also influenced by many other genres, some of them being acoustic soul, hip hop, jazz & pop. In this next album, you will be able to hear some of these influences.”
Some of those influences, I am told, come from her three favorite albums: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill, Lover’s Rock by Sade, and Elua by Cecilio and Kapono.
If you have seen any of Kimie’s videos or listened to her music, there is always an incorporation of nature and the ocean. Something rooted in her Hawaiian culture and the DNA for her songwriting style.
“Growing up on an island, we are influenced by the ocean, and the beauty that surrounds us. As Hawaiians, we were taught that the land is like another family member and is a huge part of our culture.”
It seems as though she is not the only one who shares a strong bond to the island state. With fellow artists Pepper, The Green, Iration, Anuhea, and Mike Love, Hawaii has become an apparent vessel for artists, each giving their own take to the Hawaiian style of reggae-rock.
As far as 2015 goes, I don’t think there is any slowing down for this poised young woman. Her fans and sounds continue to grow and at The Pier, we are very excited to see what the future brings for Kimie Miner. As far as Kimie is concerned: “I’m most looking forward to getting back on the road and sharing my new music with everyone. I’m so blessed to have found my passion. It has allowed me the opportunity to travel and see the world.”
As a gift for fans, Kimie has decided to give away the title track for her EP with the song “To The Sea”. You can download that song for FREE inside our MP3 Massive section, by clicking HERE!
Kimie Tour Dates
Kimie Links:
Kimie MP3 Massive [FREE MP3]
Kimie Website
Kimie Facebook
Article By: Andrew McClatchy
Photo By: David Norris
Kimie – “Make Me Say”
