Joseph Soul — birth name Joe-Sol Keoni Ha‘aheo Okalani Malaikini — was born and raised in Hana, Maui, and then was a member of the first graduating class of Kapolei High School on Oahu in 2004. He was still using his birth name when he worked in local radio — as a production intern at Cox Radio on Oahu, as director of production and imaging for the Pacific Radio Group on the Big Island, and as an assistant production director for the Clear Channel station group back in Honolulu. However, he decided to pursue a career as a nightclub DJ and with that decision came reasons to use a stage name.

First, because that’s what nightclub DJs do. Second, because ­Malaikini could be difficult to pronounce. However, the biggest reason was personal — his grandfather, Tiny Malaikini, was a man of such respect in the Hawaiian music community that the Tiny Malaikini Mea Kokua Award for community service was created in his honor in 1992.

“I did hip-hop and R&B, and I didn’t do Hawaiian music,” Soul recalled recently. “I didn’t want people to come at me and be, like, ‘You seen Tiny’s grandson? That’s so disgrace.’ ”

Joe-Sol Malaikini became DJ Audissey.

In 2010, DJ Audissey prevailed over DJ Flip, DJ Bozu and Jahson the 45 Revolver to win the second annual Hot Island DJs Spin-Off at the Mai Tai Bar. Later that year he released a critically acclaimed full-length album, “Overdue,” that previewed his appeal as a romantic R&B-oriented singer/songwriter, and featured guest performances by his friends E-Dawg, Siaosi, and the duo of Tim “Papa T” Troxell and Joe “J.D” Daniels of Big Every Time, aka B.E.T.

Deciding that singing was what he enjoyed doing most, he added some letters to his first name and Joe-Sol became Joseph Soul.

Soul, 34, passed his blind audition for “The Voice” last month, singing a fresh arrangement of Bob Marley’s 1978 classic, “Is This Love,” and joining Kelly Clarkson’s Team Kelly, when Season 19 kicked off Oct. 19. Two of the show’s four coaches — Clarkson and Blake Shelton — had turned their chairs around to show that they wanted Soul for their team. He chose Clarkson.

While blind auditions continue, Soul prepared for the beginning of Battle Rounds, which start Nov. 9.

What were you thinking while you were singing “Is This Love” and waiting for at least one chair to turn around for you?

To be honest, my mind was pretty much blank. I was just thankful that I had rehearsed it enough times to let my muscle memory take over and just be on autopilot, but I do remember (the chairs) not turning until the very end and saying to myself, “OK, I’m going home.” Then seeing them turn around shocked me. I normally do the ending falsetto all the way through with one breath, but seeing them turned around shocked me and I had to take another breath.

Why Bob Marley and why that song?

Growing up in Hawaii, Bob Marley is a foundational artist that we grow up on, and that song, “Is This Love,” can have a double meaning. If you’re not talking about a person, you look at it as the world, is this love that we’re feeling? What’s going on? Are we losing sight of humanity? That’s why I was really excited to sing that song, but ultimately, it’s also one of my favorite songs that I play live at every show that I do, and so I was really thankful that I was able to sing it on the blind audition.

Why did you decide to compete on “The Voice?”

I’m not necessarily a fan of reality singing shows, but I have been a fan of this show since the very first season. I feel that the show does a good job of focusing on the singer versus the artist — if that makes sense. I consider myself a singer, but I don’t do the dancing (and) crazy theatrics, it’s more about my connection to you via my voice. For me, “The Voice” was pretty much my only option. If any of the other shows invited me I’m not sure if I even would have accepted. But “The Voice” saw me on Instagram, reached out to me and invited me to a call-back audition. They gave me a “skip the line” pass, which was pretty awesome, but it was still a process to get to the blind auditions. I got to work with a lot of different coaches that help you prepare for that big moment.

Going back 10 years to your big win at the second annual Hot Island DJs Spin-Off, are you still in touch with other members of the DJ and club community?

I’m really close to most of them still to this day. I was in that industry for a very long time and that’s a scene that I think I’ll never fully leave. Deejaying is really like my passion. Deejaying to me is like playing a video game. You do it for fun. I could spend hours on the turntables scratching and mixing, it’s so much fun for me. Singing is just on another level. The way that you can connect with people with your voice — and the feeling I get when I connect with people — I can’t describe that.

What about your guests on “Overdue?”

Definitely. Siaosi is still a dear friend of mine, and E-Dawg who rapped on the very last song, he’s one of my best friends. He knew I was going to be auditioning and so he’s really supportive of me. The same with B.E.T. I actually produced their latest single, “Calling Me Home.” They’ve all been extremely supportive of my journey with “The Voice.”

Might you reissue “Overdue?”

I did that album in a bedroom, I mixed it myself, I mastered it myself. I had no formal training, I was just figuring things out on my own, so to me the quality is just not there. I’ve thought about doing a remix, just going back and remixing everything. But since “Overdue,” I’ve recorded probably 100 songs.

What factors inspired your transition from nightclub DJ to soul vocalist?

I realized early on that when I am playing other people’s music, my career is predicated on other people making good music and successful music — and that it’s not about the person that’s playing the music, it’s about the music that the person is playing. What if other DJs played my music? I play music too and sing too. But for other DJs to play my music, I’d have to be an artist, and I love singing to death.

Following up on a question from your blind audition, please tell me about the tattoo on your left arm.

It represents Hana where I’m originally from. It’s got a lot of ocean. It’s got a lot of mountain views. The wildlife we have out there is pretty incredible, and of course everyone is familiar with the winding road to Hana. I wanted all of the things that kind of showcase Hana to fit within that winding road (on my arm). On the top of my hand I actually have myself, my three sisters and my brother at the start of our ancestry line, and then it keeps flowing throughout the entire road.

Winning a spot on “The Voice” is a victory in itself. What are you looking at going forward?

My goal right now is to help build our legacy (as Native Hawaiians) as more than just the people who gave you the word “aloha.” That’s my dream right now. I care about how I represent (Hawaii on the show) more than anything.

Where would you like to be, or what you like to be doing, five years from now?

Where I would like to be is in one of those chairs as a coach on “The Voice.” What I would like to be doing is speaking Hawaiian. I’ve spoken about this with ­Kamaka Fernandez and he’s going to help me with my ‘olelo.

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“The Voice”

Airs 7 p.m. Mondays on NBC.