By Tasha Mero

HONOLULU– Watch out, world! Kalliyan Davis is a young girl with some big talent.

She’s a singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist– and oh yeah, she has her own rock band.

Kalliyan comes from a musical family and as she was growing up, her parents would always play rock music in the car. Because Kalliyan’s parents loved this kind of music so much, she became interested in the rock genre at a very young age. Kalliyan started playing the piano at around age 5 and began performing at age 6.She initially started off on the acoustic guitar and then fell in love with the electric guitar, which she’s been playing since she was 8 years old. Kalliyan mentions that she is influenced by bands such as Weezer, Young the Giant, The Smashing Pumpkins and Led Zeppelin. She has a small collection of various guitars, but says that she really likes her Baby Martin acoustic guitar because she can take it anywhere.

Since age 10, Kalliyan has been part of a band called Chaotic Five, so she is already familiar with being on stage. The band is currently taking a break, but together, they’ve performed at numerous venues both in the state and on the mainland as well. Kalliyan enjoys getting up in front of an audience because she feels that she is a natural performer. Kalliyan recalls that even when she was younger, she was never afraid to perform in front of people.

“My favorite part is after you’re finished performing,” explains Kalliyan. “[When] everybody claps for you, that’s like the best feeling.”

Kalliyan’s debut EP, “Ascend,” was released earlier this year and showcases her singing ability, as well as her talents on the electric guitar. The EP contains four different songs: “Whispers,” “Broken,” “Turning My Back,” and “Ascend.”

When it comes to songwriting, Kalliyan draws inspiration from personal situations. Each track is her EP, which is available on iTunes, is based off of various points in her own life. She explains that the lyrics in “Turning My Back,” talks about turning away from troubles and was based on a time when she was dealing with friendship troubles.

She dedicates a lot of time to work on her music, estimating that she

Photo: kalliyanmusic/Instagram

practices at least 7 hours a week. However, in the midst of being a musician, 15-year-old Kalliyan is still a student, first. She is a sophomore at Punahou High School and has had to juggle numerous responsibilities. Although Kalliyan feels that she isn’t very organized, she says that it somehow all works out and that she’s still able to manage her busy schedule.

In addition to being a musician and a student, Kalliyan also gets involved in some side projects as well. She recently made her debut as an actress in a local short film called “Jackie Claxton: Greener Pastures.” Her character, Jackie Claxton, is a teenage superhero who battles evil forces and has the superpower of teleportation. The sci-fi film, directed by Tony Young, also features some original music by Kalliyan.

When asked about her future after high school, Kalliyan says that she is interested in studying engineering in college. But in regards to her career as a musician, she hopes that she can continue on this path and create more music.

“I hope that I can improve on teamwork and being a leader [to] just improve my music in general and have fun,” says Kalliyan. “I feel pretty accomplished, but I know I can do better in the future, so I just hope I can keep going.”

This article was originally published in hnlFlow Magazine.