Bay Area-based Hawaiian music artist Patrick Landeza had a big night at the 44th Annual Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards.
The vocalist-guitarist’s latest release, “Far Away,” won the Hawaiian Slack Key Album of the Year category at the award show, which is commonly referenced as the “Hawaiian Grammys.” The awards were handed out on Oct. 7 at the Hawaiian Theatre Center in Hawaii.
The East Bay-based Landeza won the same category with his album “Slack Key Huaka’i” in 2013.
By winning again on Oct. 7, Landeza made history as the first mainland-based artist to win a Nā Hōkū twice in the same category.
Landeza was not in Hawaii to receive the award, but celebrated with friends and family at a watch party held at his Berkeley home.
“I am so honored to receive this win at this year’s Nā Hōkūs,” Landeza said in a statement. “It breaks my heart that I can’t celebrate with my ‘ohana back in the islands, but my friends and family in Berkeley, California, are sharing this wonderful moment with me.
“Even though times have been rough, I received so much love for this album, ‘Far Away.’ With this album, I wanted to show that even though I am far from home, I am always connected to my island roots through Hawaiian music.”
“Far Away” features a mix of Hawaiian classics and original songs. The Hawaiian music duo Kūpaoa is also featured on the album with Līhau Paik on bass and Kellen Paik on guitar and ukulele.