While in Hawaii, Hirie fell in love with reggae music, and took to the culture naturally. On the radio, and in conversation, she would hear the exclamation “irie.” The popular reggae term is derived from a Jamaican patois, and it encompasses warmth and positivity—it’s a greeting, an affectionate term of approval, and a mindset. In these painfully complex times, we could all use some irie in our life.
San Diego’s seven-piece band HIRIE is ready to offer a global spiritual uplift. Melding the balmy island touches of its singer’s beloved home—as symbolized by its moniker’s first letter, a “H” for “Hawaii,” with that feeling of irie, the award-winning group offers a soundtrack of hope. Now, with its masterful new album, Wandering Soul, brimming with invigorating female-fronted shamanistic reggae an oasis of positivity is just an album away.
“Hirie is a lifestyle choice, it’s about healing the body, the mind, and the spirit. Our fans and our band are always saying ‘let’s get HIRIE,’ it’s a way to detach from the painful complexities of the world, and bask in joyous energy,” says the band’s lead singer and sage who has taken the band’s namesake for her own.
HIRIE is poppy and purposeful, harnessing the power of accessible songcraft, social consciousness, world class musicianship, and the disarming and spellbinding qualities of reggae, the band exudes mainstream appeal without diluting its artistic vision. HIRIE is Hirie lead vocals, guitar, uke; Chris Hampton saxophone, flute, melodica, and accordion; Andrew McKee trombone, guitar, didgeridoo, and percussion; Andy Flores bass; Blaine Dillinger lead guitar; and Joey Muraoka on drums.
The mission to spread HIRIE began in 2013, and, since then, the septet has garnered some high watermarks. HIRIE was nominated as San Diego’s Best World Music Award, and its video for the hit “Sensi Boy” has accrued over 545,000 views. The group has received airplay nationally and internationally, with strongholds in Hawaii, Guam, New Zealand, and Tahiti, and in the college market. Its self-titled album debuted at #4 on the iTunes Reggae chart and rocketed to #9 Billboard Reggae chart. For three years, the group toured tirelessly, building a robust and highly dedicated fanbase. Select live performance highlights, past and present, include nationwide tours with Tribal Seeds, Iration, J Boog, and The Rebelution Tour. In the fall of 2016, HIRIE will tour with Nahko & Medicine for the People.
Onstage, the band is comprised of formidable performers. A collective of virtuosic musicians united in the selfless power of serving the reggae skank. At the center of it all, leading the way to spiritual musical enlightenment, is Hirie. Her signature aesthetic conjures the seductive expressiveness of divas like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, the raw emotionality of Lauryn Hill and Tanya Stephens, and the mystic sensuality of Enya. Together, HIRIE put on a polished show complete with choreography that offers big-production entertainment and big-heart transcendence.
Hirie’s immersion into the reggae lifestyle came at a young age through growing up in Hawaii, after stints living in the Philippines and Italy. Reggae is the top music in Hawaii, and it was only natural when Hirie emerged a singer-songwriter she would be vocalizing over skank reggae rhythms. “It’s just how I write music,” she says. At 19, when she moved to San Diego, California she made the leap from open-mic intimacy to craving the power and majesty of a full band.
In 2013, she issued her debut, but it would take three years of touring to produce the septet’s defining work, thus far, Wandering Soul. True to its title, the album explores spiritual searching, the life-changing experiences of meeting new people and sharing in the profound emotions that bond music fanatics. The album also celebrates the band’s solidification as a creative powerhouse. Working together nonstop for three years sharpened HIRIE’s chops, group musical interplay, and distinct pop-reggae vision.
“Living like a gypsy, I began to pose a lot of foundational questions, and being in touch with fans and people on the road enlightened me. So there is this soul searching quality to the music, it’s not religion, it’s just a general feeling of spirituality,” Hirie reveals.
Wandering Soul’s lush construct reflects this depth. The songs feature chord sequences that have a sophisticated, tension and release accessibility. The musicianship is high-level restraint, showcasing that point of mature virtuosity where laying back implies instrumental prowess. The album’s trippy production—the bulk of it courtesy of Danny Kalb (Beck, Ben Harper, Sia)—replete with adventurous textured passages, heady dub segues, and subtle psychedelic flourishes, make it a rare headphone experience for a pop oriented record.
The album opens with the smoldering and ambitious title track—a sonic journey through heartfelt longing, and heady dub passages. The militant “Renegade” features Nahko Bear of Nahko and Medicine For The People and boasts stately horns, simmering grooves, and call-to-arms individuality against the massification of culture. The personal “Melody of a Broken Heart” and “You Won’t Be Alone” shine a light on personal domestic struggles. “I wrote ‘You Won’t Be Alone’ for my daughter with the hopes that she understands my life when she hears me on the radio. I hope she understands how much I love her and how I can be a role model by showing her she can be anything she wants,” Hirie confides. The sleek futuristic electronic textures of “Boom Fire” represents HIRIE’s party vibe and exudes vivaciousness of in the moment HIRIE living.
Reflecting on the power of HIRIE, Hirie shares this story: “I met a fan who was suffering from of six tumors. He shared with me ‘Your music is the reason I get out of bed, you’re my medicine.’ That drives me to push this movement forward to share conscious music. I feel a responsibility and a duty to share a positive message.”
Queen
Hirie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You could feel it all wrong
What's right when every single night I'm left hanging inside?
We could do it one time in a night rhyme,
Feening on the moonlight
Moonshine-sipping trying to get our head right
One time
Two times
Everything could be all right
And if you're feeling so high / why you pacing ‘til the sunrise?
We'll be sinking and its alright, alright, alright
I wanna let you inside, wanna tell you I fight for you
I've been giving my all when I only get half of you
Let me get it all out ‘cause I'm tired of feeling blue
Wish you well and goodbye to the man I never knew
You'll be coming home to an empty bed
A king on a lonely throne
I'll be moving on, yes I will love again
The kind of love we could never know
Is it safe to say I was your only friend?
That only goes to show
While I'm moving on
Yes, while I love again
What else will you know?
I wanna let you inside, wanna tell you I fight for you
I've been giving my all when I only get half of you
Let me get it all out ‘cause I'm tired of feeling blue
Wish you well and goodbye to the man I never knew
The lyrics to Hirie's song Queen reflect the struggles of a woman who is in a relationship with a man who doesn't show her the love and affection she deserves, who doesn't treat her like the queen she is. In the first verse, she sings about wanting to have a good time with her partner, but feeling like something is off between them. She is left hanging and doesn't know why. She questions why their relationship is so difficult when they could be enjoying life under the moonlight, sipping moonshine and having a good time. She wants to feel the sparks fly, but instead finds herself pacing until sunrise. Despite all this, she assures herself that everything will be alright.
In the chorus, Hirie admits her frustration with the situation she is in. She wants to be open and vulnerable with her partner, to tell him how she feels and how hard she fights for him, even though she only seems to get a fraction of his love in return. She wants to let go of the sadness that has been weighing her down and say goodbye to the man she thought she knew. She knows that she will love again, but wonders if her partner will ever truly know love or recognize the mistake he made in not treating her like the queen she is.
Overall, the lyrics of Queen reflect a woman who is strong and knows her worth, but is tired of being with someone who doesn't see it. It is a message of empowerment and moving on from toxic relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Move it on time for me
Can you please hurry up with what you need to say to me?
You could feel it all wrong
Your emotions can be misleading sometimes
What's right when every single night I'm left hanging inside?
I feel trapped and confused every night
We could do it one time in a night rhyme, Feening on the moonlight
We could have a good time together, enjoying the moonlight
Moonshine-sipping trying to get our head right
We're drinking moonshine to clear our minds
One time, Two times
We can do this multiple times if we want
If you're feeling all right, why you heated ‘til the sparks fly?
Why are you getting so upset if you're doing fine?
Everything could be all right
Things could be okay between us
And if you're feeling so high / why you pacing ‘til the sunrise?
Why can't you relax even if you're feeling good?
We'll be sinking and its alright, alright, alright
Even if our relationship is ending, it's going to be okay
I wanna let you inside, wanna tell you I fight for you
I want to open up to you and tell you I'll defend you
I've been giving my all when I only get half of you
I've been putting in a lot of effort, but not receiving the same from you
Let me get it all out ‘cause I'm tired of feeling blue
Let me express how I feel because I'm tired of being sad
Wish you well and goodbye to the man I never knew
I'm saying goodbye to the person you pretended to be
You'll be coming home to an empty bed
You'll come home to no one by your side
A king on a lonely throne
You'll be alone, pretending to be in charge
I'll be moving on, yes I will love again
I'll move on and eventually find love again
The kind of love we could never know
Our love was never genuine or real
Is it safe to say I was your only friend?
Can I say that I was the only person you trusted?
That only goes to show
That proves something
While I'm moving on, Yes, while I love again
I'll continue to move forward and love again
What else will you know?
What else will you discover without me?
Contributed by Noah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
schynette aguon
on Frida Kahlo
bone
Ginax Asis
on Sensi Boy
;)