HAPA

"HAPA is the most successful Hawaiian music group in recent history " --The New York Times

"Hawaii's hottest group!" --Billboard Magazine

“HAPA’s music: Beautiful, fragile, spiritual, powerful" --L.A. Times

"HAPA’s music is majestic, stunning, reflecting a link to the past while soaring mightily into the future" –Honolulu Advertiser

HAPA just celebrated its 30th anniversary. Like the islands themselves, HAPA's music is an amalgam of influences ranging from ancient Polynesian rhythms and genealogical chants to the strummed ballads of Portuguese fisherman and Mexican cowboys, and the inspired melodies and harmonies of the traditional church choirs of the early missionaries. Add a dose of American acoustic folk/rock, and you have what has been described as the “most exciting and beautiful contemporary Hawaiian music the world knows!” (Maui Times)

The HAPA name reflects the diverse backgrounds of its musicians and the mix of cultures that converge in Hawai‘i. Brilliant guitarist Barry Flanagan has been the guiding force of HAPA since its beginnings in 1983. He is joined by Kapono N?‘ili‘ili -- singer, Hawaiian chanter, multi- instrumentalist, hula dancer -- who matches Barry’s embrace of many musical genres.

Often described as the “sound of Maui,” HAPA’s music evokes a feeling that many people at different times have referred to as “heavenly”. The overriding quality of HAPA’s music is one of beauty and serenity, found in the majestic tones of the ‘oli (chant), mele (song), at the elegant movements of the spiritual dance known as hula, and the exhilarating innovative sounds of the virtuoso slack key guitar. Founded in 1983, HAPA played over 500 live shows per year before releasing its benchmark self- entitled first recording in 1993, which still remains the number one selling recording by a group or duo in the history of recorded Hawaiian music; it swept all six categories for which it was nominated at the 1994 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, the Hawaiian equivalent of the Grammy’s. Most recently, in 2006, HAPA captured 4 Na Hoku Awards for its Maui CD. www.hapa.com

BARRY FLANAGAN

A prolific composer and performer, and one of Hawai’i’s most respected and celebrated recording artists and producers, Barry has composed some of Hawaii’s most popular songs of the last three decades. In 1994, the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts honored Flanagan, and Hawaiian Language Professor S.H. Kiope Raymond, with the prestigious “Haku Mele” award, an acknowledgement for Excellence in the Art of Song composition in the Native Hawaiian Language. In 2004, Flanagan co-composed a song with friend Kenny Loggins for his Grammy-nominated release More Songs from Pooh Corner. The song, entitled Hana Aluna Lullaby includes a chorus in the Hawaiian language, the first song utilizing Hawaiian lyrics to receive that distinction.

KAPONO N?‘ILI‘ILI
Known for his beautiful vocals and his mastery of a multitude of instruments, Kapono N?‘ili‘ili has performed extensively in both Hawaiian and Contemporary music. A graduate of the University of Hawaii with a B.A. in Hawaiian Language, he is a chanter and hula dancer, and won Maui’s prestigious Richard Ho‘opi‘i Falsetto Contest in 2007. He is equally as comfortable playing R&B, Jazz, Soul, Gospel, and Pop as he is with traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music. After just releasing his first solo album, Kapono is now honored to join HAPA.