Born

Hilo, Hawaii, USA

Biography

Ma Ma Loa (born as Leilani Hia'a Kalaeloa; September 17, 1922 - April 11, 2009) was a Hawaiian chanteuse, songwriter, recording artist, composer and Hula dancer. As young women, Ma Ma Loa and her sisters were models for artist John Melville Kelly, whose 1940s paintings captured a romantic vision of old Hawaii still seen in prints and posters of his work.