Local contestant on "The Voice"

By Madeleine Marr9/26/2012

Diego Val is Team Cee Lo on The Voice! On Monday, the Miami resident, 25, impressed the judge with his rendition of Animal by Neon Trees during the blind auditions (on the show, the panel turn their chairs around if they hear someone he or she wants to mentor). The Peruvian native changed it up by singing in both English and Spanish. “To have those 90 seconds in front of millions of people, I said, ‘Why not?’ Why not put a Spanish arrangement and let’s see what happens?” Val said on a conference call. “Thank God it worked out.” Plan to hear more en espanol when the 25-year-old returns in the so-called Battle Rounds next month. “I respect everybody in the country, I love everybody,’’ he said. “But I just have to put it out there — let them know that I’m Spanish and I’m here to represent.”