‘WANDERING SOUL’
San Diego-based Hirie pushes boundaries with positive music, energy
Hirie grew up a global citizen. Her father worked for the United Nations. She was born in the Philippines and spent a few years in Italy before her family settled in Hawaii.
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.
“Hirie is a lifestyle choice; it’s about
healing the body, the mind and the spirit,” she says. “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.”
Hirie is touring in support of her latest album, “Wandering Soul.”
The band began in 2013, and since then, the septet has garnered some high watermarks. It was nominated Best World Music at the 2013 San Diego Music Awards, and its video for the hit “Sensi Boy” has accrued over 630,000 views. The group has received airplay nationally and internationally, with strongholds in Hawaii, Guam, New Zealand and Tahiti, as well as in the college market.
“Wandering Soul” was produced by Danny Kalb, who has worked with Beck, Ben Harper and Sia.
The album opens with the smoldering and ambitious title track — a sonic journey through heartfelt longing, with heady dub passages.
She collaborated with Nahko Bear of Nahko and the Medicine for the People on the track “Renegade.”
And she shared her personal struggles on the song “You Won’t Be Alone.”
“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,” she says. “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.”
Reflecting on the power of music, Hirie says she wants to make an impact with her art.
“I met a fan who was suffering from six tumors. He shared with me, ‘Your music is the reason I get out of bed; you’re my medicine,’ ” she says. “That drives me to push this movement forward to share conscious music. I feel a responsibility and a duty to share a positive message.”