Inside scoop: Maui’s Kamalei Kawaʻa dedicates song to his wife on NBC’s ‘The Voice’

Maui’s own Kamalei Kawaʻa mesmerized audiences with a heartfelt performance during Monday night’s Knockout round on NBC’s “The Voice.” After captivating the judges with renditions of “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and the Wailers and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Kawa’a faced off against Maddi Jane in the Knockouts.

For his performance, Kawaʻa chose “All of Me” by John Legend as a tribute to his wife. “This song means a lot to me because it was the first song that I sang for my wife,” Kawaʻa said during rehearsals. “She changed the whole path of my life. If I didn’t meet her 10 years ago, I wouldn’t be here.”

Despite the risk of covering a song by John Legend himself, Kawaʻa poured his heart into the performance, receiving guidance from his coach, Chance the Rapper, and Season 25 mega mentor Keith Urban. Leaving Kawaʻa and Jane with a final piece of advice, Chance said to “sing like ‘even if Chance doesn’t pick me, one of the other coaches would be stupid not to steal me.”

Jane was the first on stage, performing a high energy version of “New Rules” by Dua Lipa, hoping to knockout Kawaʻa, who took the stage next.

As Kawaʻa performed “All of Me,” viewers watched in anticipation to see how coach Legend would react. When the cameras first cut to Legend, he was leaning out his chair. By the end, Legend was on his feet. Known for being tough on contestants who cover his songs, Legend expressed genuine appreciation for Kawaʻa’s rendition.

“Kamalei, thank you for singing my song,” Legend said. “It was beautiful. The whole demeanor with which you carry yourself with gratitude, and in your spirit, we feel that, and it comes through in your voice as well.”

The other coaches were equally effusive in their praise. “Kamalei, your voice, it just makes me feel good, kind of like every time I go to Hawaiʻi,” said Coach Reba McEntire. “You brought that warmth and welcoming spirit to your performance.”

“It makes it easy when you have a beautiful wife,” Kawaʻa said in response, attracting cheers from the audience and coaches.

Kawaʻa said the arrangement of “All of Me” was only slightly different from the original, but the judges felt otherwise, saying Kawaʻa made it his own. This is something Kawaʻa can only attribute to the moment and having an emotional connection to the song.

In the end, coach Chance chose Maddi Jane because of her versatility and stage presence. However, that wasn’t curtain call for Kawaʻa, as coach John Legend smashed the “Steal” button, followed by coach Reba McEntire.

McEntire, sobbing tears, made her case for the Maui native, telling Kawaʻa, “The greatest singers in the world sometimes don’t touch my heart, but you’ve got a big heart and you share it with people.”

With two coaches fighting over him, coach Legend couldn’t help but feel confident in his ability to win Kawaʻa over, thanks to their shared love for Legend’s music. “This would be the most poetic outcome for this moment,” Legend said.

In the end, Kawaʻa agreed and accepted a spot on Team Legend, avoiding elimination for at least another week.

Inside scoop with Kamalei

If Kamalei Kawaʻa’s performance struck viewers as emotional, it’s because it truly was. Kawaʻa told Maui Now that his Monday night performance was one of the hardest performances, if not the hardest performance he’s ever had to do.

Ironically, with his spot on the line, singing one of the riskiest songs in the competition, Kawaʻa felt no pressure performing in front of John Legend. Instead, it was the meaning behind the song that became overwhelming.

“All of Me” was the first song he played 10 years ago for his soul mate, who’s now his wife. Although he had performed the song countless times before, the moment was weighing on him.

At most rehearsals, he couldn’t get through the first two lines of “All of Me” without breaking down. “Literally, all the way up until the day before, I couldn’t get through the song without losing it,” said Kawaʻa.

“It’s always been our song, from the moment I met her it was,” said Kawaʻa. “On the year that my wife and I make 10 years, not being able to see her before, it was a super hard to do emotionally.”

On the morning of the show, “The Voice” got confirmation that his wife and family would be surprising him in the audience. A concerned crew member stopped Kawaʻa before going on stage, telling him, “Don’t look at your family. Focus on singing the song to the judges,” recalled Kawaʻa.

He tried to do exactly that, but Kawaʻa let go of his emotions after the performance, as crew members brought his wife backstage to celebrate.

“All of those feelings missing her and not being able to see her for so long, and just being proud of myself for holding it together on stage, all of that kind of came out when I saw her backstage,” said Kawaʻa. “It was definitely a moment.”