Just a few weeks after Cheesa Laureta finished her run on the nationally televised singing competition "The Voice," another local girl is attempting to sing her way into the hearts of America.

Meleana Brown joined the cast of "Duets" on ABC late last month after finalist Johnny Gray was mysteriously removed from the show. According to her biography on the show’s website, Brown auditioned for the competition just hours before showing up onstage alongside John Legend.

"I wanted to be a part of ‘Duets’ because singing has always been my passion," she said in an ABC interview. "When I first met John and started working with him, it was kind of nerve-wracking. He’s amazing. He really is. He has a huge gift and is extremely talented."

Brown made it safely through Thursday’s first elimination round, although she finished in the bottom half of the night’s eight performances. She and Legend, her coach on the show, paired up on "If I Ain’t Got You," by Alicia Keys.

"Both of you have a natural grace," said judge Kelly Clarkson. "It seems like y’all been singing together for a while."

Fellow judge Jennifer Nettles had similar praise for Brown’s performance.

"When you really go into those big notes, I love it," she said. "You seem like a seasoned performer."

Raised in Hawaii, Brown is part Hawaiian, African-American, Filipino, Portuguese and Spanish. She was home-schooled and spent time living and performing in Japan before moving to Los Angeles to further her music career.

Viewers have seen Brown on television before: She tried out for "American Idol" in 2003 alongside isle singers Camile Velasco and Jasmine Trias but was dismissed after forgetting the lyrics to "Can’t Buy Me Love" during the group audition round in Hollywood.

On "Duets," music stars Legend, Clarkson, Nettles and Robin Thicke are partnered with two amateur singers. The teams face off each week to see who ends up "at the top of the charts" and receives a recording contract with Hollywood Rec­ords.

"The most challenging part of working on ‘Duets’ is trying to get everything done," said Brown. "It’s very fast (and) you have to multitask. … It’s a lot of hard work."