Billy V Live

It took barely seven seconds for a Hawaii singer’s talent to be recognized on “The Voice” on Monday night. Maui’s Kamalei Kawa‘a performed his own rendition of “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and the Wailers and barely got his first chords out of before Chance the Rapper swung his chair around.

Kawa'a joined Billy V to talk about his music background and what it was like getting up on that stage.

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When Archie Kalepa thinks back on his days growing up in Lahaina, he remembers a much different town from the tourist mecca that it used to be right before the Aug. 8 wildfire.

It was a much simpler time, when he would go fishing with his grandparents.

The renowned Maui waterman comes from nine generations of family members who lived in Lahaina – and has heard many stories of Lahaina that were passed down through the years. He hopes that these stories will be carried on as Lahaina begins the rebuilding process. 

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Stacy Kealohalani Ferreira took over as CEO of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in November, and is already crafting a new vision for the agency.

Ferreira previously served as budget chief of the Hawaii State Senate and was the executive strategy consultant and division director of Extension Educational Services for Kamehameha Schools, where she also served as the trust coordinator for the Charles Reed Bishop Trust.

She recently sat down with Billy V on the “Island Beat” podcast to talk about her big goals.

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Phill Cain was working as a scuba diving instructor at Waikiki Dive Center when he got the call to compete for a chance to win $4.56 million in the Netflix reality show “Squid Game: The Challenge.” Little did he know that he would be one of the top finalists out of 456 contestants.

Spoiler alert if you haven’t watched the finale: Cain ended up in the top two and lost to player 287 Mai Whelan in the final game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.”

In this episode of Island Beat, we talk to Phill about what was going through his mind at that time ... and how Hawaii carried him through the show.

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Kaylee Shimizu, one of Hawaii’s “The Voice” contestants, is back home in the islands.

Last week, the 18-year-old was eliminated during the “playoffs” round.

She delivered a powerful rendition of Quincy Jones’ “You Put a Move on my Heart,” but Coach John Legend chose other singers to move on.

Despite leaving the show, she has a bright future ahead. In this episode of Island Beat, she reflects on her time on the show and talks about her upcoming plans.

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For Hawaii’s Pashyn Santos and Allison Chu, competing in the Netflix series “Squid Game: The Challenge” was unlike anything they’ve ever done.

Out of some 90,000 applicants from around the world, Santos and Chu were both chosen to be in a cast of 456 people vying for a chance to win $4.56 million.

Santos — a writer, actress and comedian — was player 368. Meanwhile, Chu — former Miss Hawaii and Miss Hawaii USA — was player 274.

Spoiler alert: Both girls got eliminated after the Dalgona round of the competition. In that round, contestants must carefully carve a specific shape out of a honeycomb-like candy without breaking it. They chose between a circle, triangle, star and the most challenging — the umbrella.

Ultimately, both Chu and Santos ended up in the umbrella line.

Despite leaving the show early on, they said it was an experience they would never forget, and they were happy to make Hawaii proud.

In this episode of Island Beat, we talk to both of them to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like filming "Squid Game: The Challenge."

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Hawaii’s Kaylee Shimizu continues to shine on NBC’s “The Voice” as she gets ready for the playoffs round.

The Ewa Beach girl just turned 18 earlier this week.

In this episode of Island Beat, we check in on Shimizu to see how she's preparing for the next round of the singing competition. 

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The newest Netflix reality series “Squid Game: The Challenge” is making its debut this week. Casting producer Bobby Silva, who was part of the West Coast team, said there are 456 people from all over the world competing in the show. This was the biggest project he’s ever worked on, he said. As a Kailua native and Mid-Pacific Institute graduate, Silva said he always aims to find Hawaii people to cast in projects he works on.

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For Maui comedian Jose Raymond, laughter has helped him get through some of the toughest moments of his life. One of those moments: Escaping the Lahaina wildfire in August.

A comedian who was born in Mexico, Raymond grew up in Watts in California and has spent the last 18 years living on Maui. But the day of the Lahaina wildfires changed his life.

In the latest episode of Island Beat, Raymond shares the harrowing experience of fleeing the wildfire with his family. 

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Hawaii girl Kaylee Shimizu continues to impress on NBC's “The Voice.”

The 17-year-old from Ewa Beach belted out an incredible rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way” in Monday night’s “knockout round.”

In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V gets an update from Kaylee on what it was like competing against fellow contestants in Team John and what life in Los Angeles has been like lately. 

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