NOVEMBER 2022

“There’s a lot of songs about falling in love. There’s not a lot of songs about staying in love.”
 
Lounging in a worn, tan leather chair, back-lit by sunbeams shining through a sliding glass door to his living room, Chris Trapper effortlessly captures the essence of commitment in a sentence. The poetic observation rolls off the tongue as his wife, Hania, sits across the room nodding in agreement.
 
As we chat about life and love and the challenges related to both, Chris reflects back more than a decade, when a personal experience inspired him to write and record one of his most touching and powerful ballads. He was a husband caught off guard by what he encountered in a hospital room.
 
“Hania caught a very bad case of pneumonia and was hospitalized with it,” said Chris. “I went to see her. Here she is, this young woman, 36-37 at the time, and there were all these tubes attached to her. That’s where the song, ‘Skin’ came from.”
 
—
 
You and I know how to weather the weather, even though we have holes in our shoes.

I said, “I will love you still.”
 
—
 
Skin is one of hundreds of songs written and recorded by Chris, a Westwood resident and accomplished solo artist whose music has been featured on movie soundtracks (The Devil Wears Prada and There’s Something About Mary) and television shows (Malcolm in the Middle and E.R.). It’s also been streamed by millions worldwide. While many of his tunes resonate, it’s Skin that uniquely hits home.
 
“I’ve played it at lots of weddings, as a surprise guest,” said Chris. “It’s been many couples’ first dance, people seem to relate to the theme.”
 
Connecting so personally with an audience begins with a characteristic, unique to Chris, that sometimes makes Hania cringe.
 
“He’ll ask questions most people wouldn’t ask somebody,” said Hania. “I’ll say, ‘You can’t ask that person that.’”
 
“Just did!” interjects Chris.
 
They both explode in laughter. Finishing each other’s thoughts and playfully interacting comes with 20 years of marriage.
 
“But I love to hear people’s real stories,” said Chris. “Not just what they do for work.”
 
“He’s always listening to people and learning about them and in many of his songs I can hear the different details he’s told me about people he’s met,” said Hania. “I think that has something to do with how the inspiration happens.”
 
When the inspiration sticks, typically a powerful piece of art is born, delivered acoustically on stage – guitar and voice. The poetic and magnetic songwriting inspires some of the world’s most talented musicians.
 
“I watched him go from nothing to being signed by Capital Records. I watched that whole progression,” said Hania. “He had to really build himself from scratch and that was hard, but he did it. And then all of these very successful artists started recognizing him as an amazing songwriter, like Rob Thomas and Colin Hay, and these people were like, ‘Come on tour with me and write with me.’”
 
Thomas, a solo artist who also fronted Matchbox Twenty, has won three Grammy awards. Hay, the lead singer for Men At Work, remains active as a performer and is known and admired for his storytelling in song and on stage.
 
Chris most recently spent the summer on separate tours, opening for Pat Benatar, Sammy Hagar and George Thorogood – a standard travel and performance schedule for the father of two boys, Sami and Faris, who both attend Westwood High.
 
The way Chris performed on stage always impressed Hania, but music wasn’t the top draw as she was getting to know her future husband.
 
“To be honest, it wasn’t, no,” said Hania. “Our groups of friends started hanging out often and we just kept getting drawn to each other within the group of friends. There was more of a connection between him and I. That kind of happened slowly, that friendship built and we ended up becoming close, slowly over time. I think we were dating for six months before we said, ‘Are we dating?’”
 
During that courtship, both Chris and Hania learned more about each other’s independent spirit, creativity and drive. Chris isn’t the only artist in this relationship.
 
Hania Khuri was reared in the 0-2-0-9-0, graduating from Westwood High School in 1989. Four years later, her studies at Syracuse complete, she began a career in graphic design.
 
“I worked at a design firm in the South End in Boston for 10 years,” said Hania. “I ultimately became a senior designer. It took a long time and it was a hard road for me, but when I became a senior designer, I decided I wanted to go on my own. Chris supported that shift from stability, like healthcare and benefits to the unknown.”
 
As the independent owner of Khuri Design, Hania enjoyed success, working with notable institutional and large non-profit clients including Harvard University and The Ireland Funds, to the hospitality industry including Chiara Bistro, Heritage of Sherborn, Sorellina, Mooo Restaurant and The Inn at Hastings Park. And she has even donated her design talents to brand Westwood organizations such as the Westwood Food Pantry, Westwood Environmental Action Committee, Westwood Council on Aging and Inclusive Westwood.
 
The design business continued to grow, and Hania felt an urge to pursue something equally fulfilling.
 
“I went to yoga teacher-training to deepen my practice and learn more. But, once you learn all these healing tools, you’re so motivated to share them. At first I started teaching in towns where nobody knew me. I figured I’d give it a year or two and see what happened.”
 
Chris chuckled recalling the moments of doubt, two independent spirits pursuing separate passions… together.
 
“I was at Hania’s first class she ever taught,” said Chris. “There were what, two people in class? Then, think about it, last year she was asked to be a lead presenter at Gillette Stadium for ‘Yoga Reaches Out,’ and there were how many people? Like 750-800.”
 
“It kind of gives you a little confidence that your decision was right,” said Hania.
 
That decision to ‘follow your heart,’ made by both Chris and Hania, was fueled by the assurance their soulmate’s heart was along for the ride.
 
“Chris would write for film and TV,” said Hania. “When Sami was born, I remember having a c-section and being in the hospital for five days. Chris walked in and told me he had an offer to be in a film in San Francisco, like… tomorrow! I just said, ‘Go. You have to do it, you know? I’m fine. I’m fine.’”
 
That film, August Rush, featured a soundtrack that was nominated for a Grammy in 2009, including Chris’ song This Time.
 
—
 
I say I’ll wait for you to put your fake teeth in

If you break in two, or turn into a skeleton I’ll give you my skin.
 
—
 
Hania had watched Chris grow from obscurity to fame, supporting him every step of the way through an unpredictably thrilling course of ups and downs. His music became more popular, his calendar more crammed and as kids entered the picture, the Trappers considered where to set roots.
 
“I was petrified to move to the suburbs,” said Chris. “I thought… move to Westwood, start wearing khaki pants, start playing golf. I thought it would be drastic change and my career could never sustain being a suburban dad.”
 
It ended up working out fine, with Chris able to maintain his rock and roll wardrobe and atypical lifestyle while Hania reconnected with the town where she grew up.
 
“When I came back to Westwood I saw it through very different eyes,” said Hania. “I love what I see now. I love that it’s a little more diverse than when I was growing up, because I was probably one of the only ethnic people growing up here. Now I feel like it’s a little more diverse and the community’s very loving and supportive of each other.”
 
That doesn’t mean this unique couple doesn’t get some interesting questions.
 
“People always ask me, ‘How do you live?’” said Hania. “I just tell them he’s a touring singer / songwriter who writes songs not just for his own career, but for other artists, films and TV. We may be unique here in Westwood, but when we visit our friends in Los Angeles, we feel like boring suburban people.”
 
When the pandemic struck in 2020, Hania adapted and found new ways to reach her yoga audience, understanding peace-of-mind and tranquility were obscured by the anxiety and uncertainty quarantine and social distancing presented.
 
“I remember thinking, this is a time that people need yoga the most,” said Hania. “How can we not have yoga for people, because that’s why yoga’s there, for people when they need to heal, you know?”
 
Hania started recording virtual classes and making them available online. She also began sharing her weekly inspirational messages with her students by email. As time passed, the collection grew and there was enough for her to publish a book.
 
“Rest & Return – Weekly Reminders to Pause, Reflect and Just Be” was published in 2021, a 122-page collection of photos, reflections, poetry, and accessible techniques of yoga, breathing, meditations, and journaling. Edited by Sarada Peri, a Senior Speechwriter for President Barack Obama, Rest & Return reminds the reader, “We are all just walking each other home.”
 
“It became a healing tool for anyone going through struggles or anyone who just needed a reminder to find compassion for themselves and to seek moments of peace in their day.” said Hania. “People would reach out and ask me to sign books for multiple friends each going through different life challenges. It’s the ultimate happiness to feel like your work is helping others.”
 
The pendulum had swung. Hania’s focus was shifting primarily to mindfulness and wellness, rooted in the deep wisdom of yogic and Buddhist traditions. Since publishing Rest & Return, Hania has been asked to present and speak at multiple companies and conferences where accessible tools to manage stress and promote wellness are becoming more of a critical need in the workplace.
 
Meanwhile, Chris continues to build his network, working with artists he’s admired for decades.
 
“Opening for Pat Benatar this summer was amazing” said Chris “When she entered my musical consciousness, I was in high school when rock and roll meant everything, and she was one of the biggest stars in the world, so just meeting her for the first time was very surreal. I try and always have decorum though, and I’m invited to be there, so it’s not like a subordinate role, but it’s very surreal sometimes and I’ve had lots of those cool moments with all different kinds of performers, luckily.”
 
The harder you work, the luckier you get. If you’re committed to a passion, that commitment is typically rewarded, but it takes teamwork to truly make it work. The Trappers are a team, pursuing separate passions, together.
 
—
 
You know you have the most beautiful body

‘Cuz I will love you still. I will love you still.