Reuniting after 17 years, the original duo of Barry Flanagan and Keli’i Kaneali’i continue to bring back the groundbreaking sound that established the name HAPA as one of the most recognized names in Hawaiian music since their debut album hit the airwaves.
Meaning” half” in Hawaiian, the name HAPA is inspired by the band’s two members – Keli’i Kaneli’i of Hawaiian ancestry, and Barry Flanagan originally from New Jersey. The group’s self-title album, released in 1993, remains the top selling recording by a group or duo in the history of recorded Hawaiian music. HAPA swept all six nominated categories at the 1994 Hawai’i Music Awards. In 2007, the album was acknowledged by Honoluulu Magazine as #31 of the 50 All-Time Greatest Hawaiian Recordings of All Time, with the original song “Lei Pikake” acknowledged as #32 in the follow-up 50 All-Time Greatest Songs issue.