Renowned island reggae group Kolohe Kai held a concert on Friday, Nov. 1 at the Cannon Activities Center. Lead Singer Roman De Peralta said he enjoyed coming up to Laie to perform as he used to visit the community frequently growing up and even wrote one of his most famous songs passing through Laie.
Award winning artist of Kolohe Kai, De Peralta, known for popular island reggae songs such as “Ehu Girl,” “Dream Girl,” “Cool Down,” “Good Morning Hawaii” and “Heartstrings,” said the crowd had so much energy and he could feel the genuine vibes from everybody.
“It feels good coming from Kaneohe where I grew up to drive up to this community and be here to perform. It’s just good, happy vibes up here.”
Speaking of his connection to Laie, De Peralta said he wrote the popular song “Cool Down” while passing the PCC when he was 15 years old. “I also used to catch the bus and go to Pounders Beach all the time when I was a kid. I love it up here. I love the vibe and the people up here.”
Growing up listening to Kolohe Kai, Kulia Kurihara, a junior majoring in graphic design from Washington, said she began listening to the group since she was in middle school and has enjoyed his music ever since.
“Hearing him perform 'Ehu Girl' was great. It’s a classic and a good throwback song. It made me feel nostalgic because it brought back memories of going to the beach in summer listening to this song.”
Kurihara said she enjoyed being able to get together with friends and the community to have a big social event on campus. “Usually when we have concerts, they are at the PCC, so it was cool to have something with BYUH. Having a school sponsored event like this was great.
“I thought it was a cool way to get the community together too because it wasn’t just students who came. A lot of families and their kids came from the community.”
The opening act for Kolohe Kai was local group Rootz Rockaz. The group performed its set for about 45 minutes and performed renditions of popular island reggae songs.
Kurihara described the atmosphere of the event as being family friendly. “It was also high energy because there were students up at the front dancing, but it was nice to see that families felt comfortable joining in too. We should do more concerts here at school.”
Renz Coronel, a junior majoring in political science, said the concert was an enjoyable night for all. “Everyone was singing along to his music. I was able to personally chat with [De Peralta] after the concert and he is a fun-loving guy. It was such a great night.”
When asked what message he wanted to share with students and the community, De Peralta shared, “Just like I say in my ‘Round and ‘Round’ song, never give up and always remember that obstacles will help you to grow. Just jump over them or run through them because you can’t avoid them. You’ll grow this way. Never give up and keep going.”