Ho’onu’a translated into English means to “give lavishly”. Since the beginning of their musical careers together, Christian Yrizarry and Jared Keo have done just that…they’ve given it their all. In 1994, both Christian and Jared began their freshman year at the University of San Diego. They were among a small handful of guys on the Football team from Hawaii, and they would get together to just hang out and “jam”. It was during these “jam” sessions that they realized their voices blended well together. After three years of just Kanikapila and performing for the other local students that resided in San Diego, their opportunity to record some of their music had come. In 1997 their first single “Surf Session” was released on the T & C Sessions Volume II album, and in 1998 Ho’onu’a put out their very first full-length album, Feel Good Island Music, consisting of 10 original songs. The album featured hit songs like When I Think About You, Island Style Cruizin’, Koa Tree, Surf Session, and Feel Good Island Music, all of which reached #1 in Hawaii. Upon graduating from the University of San Diego in May of 1998, the two returned home to Hawaii to promote their new album and continue on with their musical careers. In 2000, they released their second album Have a Good Time. Having co-produced that album, they demonstrated growth in both their musical talents and creativity. With hits like, Blue Light, Pride, Fire, You’re Mine, and Have A Good Time, the album was a success, and Ho’onu’a was able to secure a spot in the island music industry as one of the top bands in Hawaii. Their music has taken them to places like Guam, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas and Oregon, and they have shared the stage with acts like Shaggy, Inner Circle, Aswad, Steel Pulse, Maxi Priest and more! In 2003 came the release of their highly anticipated third album Take You To The Jam. Living up to their reputation of having a “high energy” live performance, they were able to put that same energy onto this album. Their first single Passion Love went straight to #1 and stayed there for 6 weeks on different radio stations throughout Hawaii. In 2007, Christian Yrizarry and Jared Keo announced that Ho’onu’a was no more. To avoid any misconceptions, the changes were amicable. Keo decided more than a year ago that he wanted to concentrate on a career outside music. Yrizarry has teamed up with Sani Apuakehau to pick up where he and Keo left off to form Beach 5. Apuakehau, a solo artist who also performed in the duo’s backing band, had been working with Yrizarry on gigs too small for Ho’onu’a to play. They could have exploited the visibility and popularity of Ho’onu’a, but it was cleaner all around to retire the name and start fresh. |
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