Kui Joy

Kui Joy is an 8^th grade steel guitar player and proud boarder at Kamehameha Schools. Raised on Moloka‘i, she carries her island with her through the mele she performs, honoring its stories, ‘āina, and kūpuna.

A graduate of Kula Kaiapuni o Kualapu‘u, Kui was immersed in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i and ‘ike Hawai‘i from a young age, and the Hawaiian language remains central to who she is. For her, Hawaiian music is a way to keep her language, culture, and identity alive.

Kui draws inspiration from Joseph Kekuku, the Kamehameha Schools boarder who invented the Hawaiian steel guitar, and from Mālie Lyman, a fellow Kaiapuni and Kamehameha Schools musician she admires. She hopes to one day play and sing with the same grace and artistry.