Maui’s Kamalei Kawaʻa participates in blind audition for Season 25 of NBC’s ‘The Voice’ : Maui Now

Maui musician, Kamalei Kawaʻa, is among those who auditioned for Season 25 of NBC’s “The Voice,” he announced via his social media platforms on Thursday.

Kawaʻa participated in the show’s blind auditions, with the premiere of Season 25 starting on Monday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. Central (Check local listings for Hawaiʻi airtimes). The show also streams on Peacock.

He called it “one of the most hardest, amazing and wildest secrets” he’s had to keep, and wrote, “This one’s for you Hawaiʻi!”

A fluent speaker of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, Kawaʻa is a product of Ke Kula Kaiapuni ma Maui and the Hawaiian Studies program at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. In previous accounts, Kamalei credited hula, his kumu hula, and his parents for inspiring him to sing Hawaiian music. 

In 2012, he founded Nā Wai ʻEhā, a group whose traditional Hawaiian music eventually garnered multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards and a Grammy-nomination. He was also the 2015 winner of the Richard Ho‘opi‘i Leo Ki‘eki‘e Falsetto Contest and the event’s Hawaiian language award recipient.

Kawaʻa of Waiehu put out his first solo recording and music video, Sweet Dreams Kuʻu Momi in 2021.

Kawaʻa is the latest Maui contestant to take the stage. Last season, musician and vocalist, Jason Arcilla made it to the battle rounds, and in 2020, Joseph Soul, a Makakilo man, originally from the remote town of Hāna, Maui appeared on the program.

For more on Kawaʻa visit his @kamaleikawaamusic Instagram and Facebook pages.

*Maui Now’s Wendy Osher contributed to this report.