Surprise wedding performance by Kalohe Kai's Roman DePeralta

Aug 20, 2026

A Hawaii bride pulled off a secret wedding surprise for her new husband, and it landed as a feel-good moment for both the couple and local music fans.

  • Kamehameha Schools graduate Janai Akina secretly booked Hawaii artist Roman DePeralta of Kalohe Kai to perform at her wedding.
  • Her husband Steve Barbieri, a California resident, had learned about her island culture through the group's music while they dated.
  • DePeralta was so booked he nearly missed it — theirs is the only wedding he has played all year.
  • Molokai reggae group Hiawatha, the Waterboys drops Waterboys Volume Two tomorrow evening on streaming, which the band calls a defining chapter after a stretch of big changes.
  • Journey plays the islands in a few weeks on what is billed as their last trip here, with a handful of tickets still being given away.

Outlook: Expect the new Waterboys release and the Journey farewell shows to keep Hawaii's music calendar busy over the next few weeks.

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