PODCAST: 2022 Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners reflect on their big night

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The 2022 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards wrapped up last month for an in-person show, with a set of returning and first-time winners.

Hoku Award-winning artist Josh Tatofi once again claimed awards this year, winning Single of the Year and Hawaiian Music Video of the Year.

“No one really gets used to winning an award because so much, you never know how it’ll go, you know, whether it be the members or the board or the fans, every year is different,” Tatofi said. “I was shocked and I’m just super blessed to be there to actually receive an award, physically, so that was that was a big one for me.”

Grammy and Hoku Award-winning artist Kalani Pea also took home two awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year for Composers.

“Just so beautiful to feel the mana of other kanaka in that room that that lifts your light and want to be there to be part of uplifting your hulali, your shine, and your achievement,” Pea said. “Also, the feeling in 2017 to receive my first Hoku Award on my first album. Just feeling my kupuna. I felt them there with me pushing me to the awai, to the stage and guiding me along the way.”

Paula Fuga received her first ever Na Hoku Hanohano Award for best Female Vocalist of the Year for her song and album, “Rain on Sunday.”

“I feel like I earned this,” she said. “I haven’t had any real Hoku nominations since 2007. And this is my this was my first album since then. And it just felt so gratifying because I’ve been there in the in that room to witness my other friends, you know, receiving that award. And it’s just always such a good feeling. I love that.”

And this year’s biggest winner was the group Kulaiwi, which won Album of the Year, Hawaiian Music Album of the Year and Group of the Year for their record “Native Lands.”

“You know, we had hoped to make a difference and make an impact with the music. But I really didn’t expect our peers to honor us that great by giving us, you know, Album of the Year, Group of the Year,” said Lehua Kalima, of Kulaiwi. “Of course, the all the awards are magnificent. We’re example for all of them. But really, the award is being able to do this every day for the rest of our lives.”

And it wasn’t all Hawaiian music that received awards that night.

The K-pop group Crossing Rain received the fan-voted Entertainer of the Year award.

In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V sits down and chats with some of the winners to debrief the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards and find out how they’re feeling after the big night and what winning these awards means to them.