Noah Juan, 1999 St. Louis graduate, has won the chance to perform a duet with Hawaiian music star Amy Hanaiali‘i.

The top-selling Hawaiian music female vocalist of all time chose the 28-year-old following an online contest that started at the begining of September. Candidates were asked to make YouTube videos for “Amy’s Duet Fest” and submissions came in from Nagoya, Japan to Colombia, South Carolina for the chance to perform with her.
Hanaiali‘i said she chose Juan because “Noah had a great tone in his voice and I appreciated his ability to play his own music.” Juan will now join Hanaiali‘i on stage for her soon-to-announced Hawai‘i tour.
The contest started with the release of Hanaiali‘i’s “Friends and Family of Hawai‘i” CD, which has topped Hawaiian music charts and drawn national attention, particularly for her duet with Willie Nelson.
Six videos comprised the competition’s final’s round and it included the following genres and participants: Hawaiian – Yoshiko Nishio, Pop – Louisa Te‘i, R&B – Kamuela Brede, Country – John Hunter Phillips, Folk – Noah Juan and Jazz – Julius Mina.
“The talent was amazing and incredible, from the very beginning to this final round. I enjoyed it all.” Hanaiali‘i said.
In a news release announcing the winner, Juan stated he was “excited about the opportunity. To have this once in a lifetime chance to perform with Amy will not only be in my heart forever, but also with my friends and family.”
An official meet-and-greet will be scheduled with Hanaiali‘i and Juan and the two will collaborate on future performances. “Words can’t describe how I feel now. I just have to stay humble and try my best,” Juan said.
To view Juan’s performance, go to YouTube (youtube.com/amyhanaialii).