In 1866, Liliʻu was appointed the choir director and organist at Kawaiahaʻo Church in Honolulu. Historical programs show that she led the choir, played the organ at Christmas mass, and conducted premieres of her own works. It was during this time that she was asked to compose a new national anthem for the kingdom He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi, which remained the anthem for ten years before her brother’s composition, Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī, became the anthem that is still used today.