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Local singer-songwriter Duncan Kamakanaonakuahiwi Osorio has gone from local exposure on a commercial to national TV.
He’s currently part of Burger King’s Hawaii promotional campaign, but Osorio now has the opportunity to showcase his musical talents on a much bigger stage, as he was picked Monday night to compete on NBC’s "The Voice."
Osorio, the son of veteran musician and Hawaiian scholar Jon Osorio, is singing under the stage name of Duncan Kamakana. He was featured briefly in a 30-second segment highlighting three contestants who were picked by celebrity coaches Adam Levine, Shakira, Usher and Blake Shelton to join their respective teams. (Watch videos of Kamakana on the show at honolulupulse.com.)
In the show’s second week of blind auditions, Osorio’s rendition of Michael Buble’s "Home" impressed Levine, a winning coach from the show’s first season who is also frontman for the pop-rock band Maroon 5.
Osorio is now part of what will be a 12-person team, once the blind auditions conclude next week. Afterward, Levine and his fellow coaches will then selectively pair off their team members for head-to-head singing battles that will start the elimination process. "The Voice" airs at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on KHNL/NBC.