Hawaii’s Ciana Pelekai wins battle on NBC’s ‘The Voice’
COURTESY NBC
Ciana Pelekai performed tonight during the Battle Rounds on NBC’s “The Voice.” She will move on to the Knockout Rounds.
Oahu-born singer Ciana Pelekai advanced tonight to the next round of NBC’s talent show “The Voice.”
Pelekai, a 20-year-old Radford High graduate who now lives in Las Vegas, was selected over 22-year-old Denisha Dalton of Warwick, N.Y., after they performed a duet of “You Broke Me First” by Tate McRae in their Battle Round matchup. Their coach, pop superstar John Legend, paired the two against each other and chose the song for them. A brief excerpt of the performance aired tonight.
“You both come to this experience with so much positivity and such great energy, and I do love that both of you take vocal risks with your performance,” Legend said afterward. “That being said, I believe the winner of this battle is Ciana.”
Legend later added, “Ciana has a really cool voice. She has great sense of rhythm, and I think she has a good sense of how a pop song is supposed to be delivered, and I think she has a good shot.”
He called the singers “powerhouse vocalists” on Twitter, praising their performances.
.@officiallyciana @denishakdalton you are two powerhouse vocalists! Fantastic job on your battle! #TeamLegend #TheVoice
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 6, 2021
Pelekai will move on to the Knockout Rounds. She will get to choose her own song and continue to get advice from Legend.
Pelekai lived in Waianae until she moved to Las Vegas in 2018 for personal and professional reasons. Her first moment in the spotlight was after a video of her as an 8-year-old singing “If I Was a Boy” went viral. That led to her getting to sing the national anthem at an NBA game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and television appearances on “America’s Got Talent” and the “Maury” talk show, as well as in local talent shows and stage productions.
