The sixth week of the 2024 HI 93 Presents Hawaii’s Finest Talent Contest semi-finals is now in the books.
Pacific Media Group’s statewide local music radio stations—HI93 Oahu (KQMQ), HI92 Maui (KLHI), HI95 Kauai (KSRF), and KAPA-FM Hawaii Island—put on a statewide talent contest in collaboration with Hawaii’s Finest to help discover Hawaii’s next top artist. 14 contestants made it to the semi-finals, and they’re all vying for the $1,000 cash prize, recording session, and a spot at a future Hawaii’s Finest concert.
HI93’s Pu’unui welcomes us into the second-to-last week of the competition. The hot crowd got to see two more amazing talents battle it out: Hillside Islanders from Makakilo and Kepa from Hilo, headlined by winners of the 2022 HI Finest Talent Contest, Hui Pu, and High Watah. Let me tell you, week six was one of the best nights of the competition.
Talent #11: Hillside Islanders
The Hillside Islanders take the stage first. They are a father-son duo—C.K. Ryan and J.K. Ryan, respectively—from Makakilo who are having their very first live performance at the 2024 HI Finest Talent Contest. They performed a medley of songs. C.K. Ryan served as the lead singer, who had a nice tone and hit a decent falsetto. The potential is there. J.K. Ryan was on the electric guitar and he also was quite impressive. He let his guitar do the singing for him and looked like a pro. This was a fine showing from the Hillside Islanders, which is pretty good considering this was their on-stage debut. HI93 is glad to have them.
Learn more about C.K. Ryan and the Hillside Islanders in our Before The Stage interview. Follow them at @hillsideislanders on Instagram.
Talent #12: Kepa
Then we have Kepa Revelle-Aikala, known simply as Kepa, hailing from Hilo! His first song was “He Aloha Moku O Keawe” by Emalia Kaihumua. From the first note, Kepa amazed the crowd with his beautiful vocals and soothing falsetto. He sounded like a seasoned veteran, hitting every note and vibrato with precision. The next song he performed is a Hawaiian classic—”Alika” by Genoa Keawe. Kepa continued to showcase more of his versatile voice and musical style. I personally did not expect this kind of performance from Kepa. It was absolutely amazing. He is another artist everyone should have on their radar.
Learn more about Kepa and his musical background in our Before The Stage interview. Follow him at @josephkahelemeakua on Instagram.
Overall Thoughts
Week six was nothing short of spectacular! The packed crowd was blessed with two amazing performances from Hillside Islanders and Kepa. Both brought their unique styles to the stage and wowed the fans. What a night. See the slide show of photos below. We can’t wait for the next and final week.
The Final Week!
Here are we are, folks! We are now in our LAST week of the 2024 HI Finest Talent Contest. With 12 contestants down and two more to go, there is still no clear winner. Everyone brought their A-game on stage, which is making it ten times harder for our judge.
Don’t miss the FINAL week on August 1st as we have our last two semi-finalists performing on stage: Inaloi from Kaimuki and Juss Press from Wailuku. Our headliners will be Opihi Pickers and Miah. We’re inviting everyone to come to Hawaiian Brian’s and witness the future of Hawaii music. Take a look at our mini wall of fame, showcasing our contestants from the previous weeks.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and listen live to stay updated on the contest.
A Surprise Appearance
Another reason why you should come to next week’s 2024 HI Finest Talent Contest? You never know who’s going to show up.
We were blessed with a special appearance from none other than Josh Tatofi. He came through to check out the event and show his support for all the artists performing last week. Here’s a picture of him and Pu’unui.
