Halehaku Seabury-Akaka met Keone Souza when they were students at Kamehameha Schools. When Souza met Ikaika Blackburn at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, he found the musician he and Seabury-Akana had been looking for; they formed Na Hoa (The Friends), in 2002. In 2012 they recorded their first album — “Na Hoa.” It won awards in four major categories at the 2013 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards — Album of the Year, Group of the Year, Most Promising Artists and Hawaiian Music Album of the Year. The trio won another Hoku in 2015.
In February, Na Hoa was in Los Angeles for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Their current album, “Aloha From Na Hoa,” was a finalist for the Best Regional Roots Album prize (the winner was “No ‘Ane‘i” by Maui’s Kalani Pe‘a).
What was the most memorable thing about being at the Grammys for the first time?
IB: Being in the same area with Lady Gaga, Chris Stapleton, all of these big-time winners. Being there with them and knowing that not a lot of people make it to that point. To be in that place, at that moment in time, that was an experience.
KS: We took some selfies with them — (and) they don’t even know it. Just to be mixed up with them like that was, like, wow! Guys that we look up to, and suddenly we’re standing next to them.
HSA: Standing next to Chaka Khan, I was surprised how short she is, but her voice — Holy Christmas!
KS: We have the Hoku Awards, that’s our thing, but being part of something bigger and being mixed up with these people is something different for us.
And how is the album doing?
KS: It’s doing great, considering that it was never released yet. We haven’t had an official CD-release party. It was released in Japan (last year) and then we said, “OK, we’re going to come back home and set up a party” — and that was last year February! It’s on iTunes and CDBaby and Mele.com but we don’t have a distributor. We also sell it where we play. We can sign the CD, we can’t sign a music file.
Hale, when I met you back in the mid-2000s you were playing steel guitar. Do you still play steel guitar as well as the regular six-string acoustic guitar you play with Na Hoa?
HSA: I still do, although I need to knock the rust off. Steel guitar was a great way into the different components of what makes Hawaiian music. You find your way through what of Hawaiian music interests you, and then you come across people who have done the same. Luckily for 16 years now we’ve been able to do it together.
What are your plans for Na Hoa?
IB: Hawaiian music has its own circle, and so we’re trying to get better recognized by people who aren’t in that circle. Get it out more to everyone.
KS: Until we got nominated for the Grammy I didn’t think that we had a reach on the West Coast — our niche is more Japan, Hawaii and definitely the hula scene, we love to play for hula dancers — but being nominated and being up there and meeting people who actually knew of us, heard of our music, listened to our music, opened up a new door for us. We’re going back for the first West Coast tour in a few weeks.
What else are you working on?
KS: Getting ready for Merrie Monarch (in April).
IB: We’re playing for Kumu Hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin from Kauai and Kumu Hula Kamaka Kukona from Maui. We’re very fortunate to have been playing at Merrie Monarch for many years. It just goes to show that our music is definitely still out there and surrounded by hula.
