07/05/2025
Excited and so honored to be the only Hawaiian act to perform at this year’s Richmond Folk Festival in October, which brings 200,000 attendees during the weekend. Looking forward to sharing the stage with Joe Zayac, Casey Olsen, Jeff Peterson, Kapono Lopes, Duane Padilla and Eli Bishop. Also, my collaborator Kilin Reece will be a part of this show while sharing the stories of how Hawaii shaped modern music.
Growing up a self-described "country girl," Raiatea Helm says that she and her peers weren't surrounded by a lot of traditional Hawaiian music. They knew more about the songs of the Everly Brothers, say, or Earth, Wind & Fire. Living on the island of Molokai, which she likens to an American small town (pop: 7,000), she was instead familiar with what she calls the ancient stories. "We call them mo'olelo."
These oral histories are key to understanding Hawaiian culture, says the celebrated vocalist, slated to appear at the 2025 Richmond Folk Festival, October 10-12. "These stories give us context as to, you know, the relationship between man and nature and the spiritual realm. They really give us an appreciation of the landscape and our culture and, of course, our past and the resilience of our people."
➕ Continue reading more about Raiatea Helm, the first of our 2025 Featured Artists, at richmondfolkfestival.org/rff-news/2025/6/29/hawaiian-calling
