KIMIÉ MINER ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM HER SELF-TITLED ALBUM COMES OUT ON OCTOBER 9, 2015

Kimié Miner is a singer-songwriter who carries the intimacy of her Hawaiian upbringing and amplifies it through a global lens on her upcoming self-titled album (being independently released on October 9, 2015). A songwriter since she was 14 years old, Kimié (pronounced Kimi-ay), of Hawaiian and Portuguese decent, takes many of her influences and mixes it into her own unique style weaving between Reggae, Soul, R&B, Jazz, Hawaiian, and Pop on her 11-track album.

This album sees Kimié coming into her own as an artist from her journey of world travels, her residency in Los Angeles, and her reconnection to her native Hawaiian roots. Although she put out a few releases, Kimié’s new album is a re-introduction to her and her music and is aptly titled Kimié Miner. The theme for the album is land, which Kimié states, “It’s about our connection to the land and the seasons we experience both in our surroundings and within ourselves.” The album, recorded in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and Hawaiʻi, was written and produced closely with Billy Van. Other great collaborators include Caleb Keolanui (The Green) on “Love’s In The Melody,” and additional production from Imua Garza, Matt Honda, and Scott Wilks.

Her debut EP, To The Sea, was funded entirely by a successful Kickstarter campaign and provided a stunning introduction to this talented young musician. The lead single, “Make Me Say,” featured fellow Hawaiian musician Imua Garza (who also contributed guitar work and production on the new album) and reached #1 on KCCN-FM’s Top 40 Songs of 2013. With the release of Kimié Miner, Miner hopes to surpass this success and continue the narration of her life story that began on To The Sea.

“This album is a reflection of the lessons I’ve learned, and the happiness I feel being back home. I am Hawaiian first, but knowing who I am has allowed me to grow, learn, and explore the rest of the world.”

Her journey around the U.S. led her to collaborate with a few different artists and producers who helped shape the album’s overall sound. Kimié wrote and produced majority of the album with Billy Van. The two first met through Kimieʻs manager while she was on Tour with The Green. She then traveled to Indianapolis where they wrote and recorded “Trouble,” “Throwback Love,” and “Make It To Morning” in under a week. The duo collaborated so well that Kimié brought Van to Hawai’i to help finish the rest of the album.

Other collaborations include “Love’s in the Melody,” for example, which was co-written with Caleb Keolanui (from The Green) while they were oceans apart. With Keolanui on tour and Miner in Hawaiʻi, they collaborated by sending each other voice recordings from their iPhones. Dedicated to their partners at home, they created a song about hearing a loved one in a melody and the ultimate power of music to generate intimacy over long distances.

Her first single from the album, “New Day,” was released last year, accompanied by a music video. The song was inspired by a friend’s struggle with addiction, and how turning to music and nature helped her to heal. The song incorporates the idea of “Hiʻu Wai” (a Hawaiian water purification ritual based in the belief that the ocean can cleanse people). Hawaiian culture is grounded in a close and spiritual connection to the land, sea, and natural resources, and Miner hopes to be able to share with listeners around the world the healing power of this connection.

The next single from Kimié Miner, “Bottom Of A Rainbow,” found Miner collaborating with L.A. Reggae band Detour Posse. The song begins with a childhood memory of Miner listening to the radio with her dad in his Ford Bronco on the beach and ends with her reminiscing about a recent beach bonfire and jam session with close friends. These memories reminded her of how rich we are even without money, and that “the best things in life come free.”

Miner enjoys transporting her fans back to a simpler life and time, but she also strives to bond with them on an emotional level. “Lullabies,” a song she wrote at the ripe age of 14, accomplishes that goal as she sings about the heartache her family faced during her childhood. “I didn’t think I would ever share this song with another person because it was too personal, but I’ve seen how much music can affect people and act as therapy both to the writer and listener,” said Miner. “There’s a light at the end of every tunnel, and we can make it through all these seemingly impossible life experiences. For me, that light is through music.” The album version of “Lullabies” pinpoints commonalities between personal hardship and progressive issues facing people today to create a one-of-a-kind, universally accessible track.

Another notable track from the album is “Trouble,” one of four tracks Miner co-wrote with Billy Van in Indianapolis. “This song is about the internal struggle we all have within ourselves. We want to do well but we all fall off the wagon at some point. It’s about the realization that we’re not perfect and learning how to deal with that. The only person who can save you is you.”

Kimié Miner was recorded mostly in Hawaiʻi at Blue Planet Sound Recording Studio. Bolstered by her recent move back home, Miner met a variety of writers and producers in her travels, through which she encountered fresh musical ideas and new versions of herself. This combination of mobility and groundedness informs her assertion that “I am not just a Hawaiian entertainer. I am a songwriter with a mission to let my roots give me wings. I want to be able to show young people that they can be proud of who they are and where they come from while still exploring the rest of the world.”