Helm, Na'auao, Ekolu and Waipuna lead Hoku Awards finalists
May 10—1/1
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STAR-ADVERTISER / 2022
Crossing Rain performs at the 45th Annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. The H-pop boy band was named Favorite Entertainer of the Year in 2022.
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Four veterans of the Hawaii music industry — Raiatea Helm, Sean Na'auao and the groups Ekolu and Waipuna — are front- runners with nominations in major categories as the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts announces finalists for the 47th annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.
Voting begins today and ends May 31. The winners will be announced Aug. 3 at the Hawai'i Convention Center.
Helm, Na'auao, Ekolu and Waipuna top the ballot as finalists for album of the year. The award goes to the producer(s) of the winning album as well as to the artist, and since Helm, Na'auao, Waipuna and Ekolu member Lukela Keala also produced or co-produced their albums, a win by their album would earn a second round of awards in the category.
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The possibility of an upset exists in the fifth finalist for album of the year, "Kona Grown," by newcomer Kenny Tagavilla. Tagavilla is also a finalist in the male vocalist and best new artist(s) categories, and is no doubt aware that Willie K and Keali'i Reichel swept those three categories with their debut albums in 1992 and 1994, respectively.
Award winners in 31 categories will be determined by the votes of the HARA membership. Winners in seven other categories are selected by panels of music industry and Hawaiian cultural specialists.
The winner of the International Album — Special Recognition Award is also selected by a group of specialists, but the criteria used in determining eligibility for that award have never been made public.
And, in the tradition of the original Hoku Awards of the 1970s, the winner of the award for favorite entertainer of the year will be determined by public vote. The online voting link opens in June at .
