Bet from Pinamungajan shines at Sinulog Idol 14’s first round

CEBU, Philippines —  The heavy downpour didn’t stop the audience from staying on to cheer for the Sinulog Idol 2023 contestants as the annual singing competition returned to the Fuente Osmeña Circle Friday, January 6, to find its next champion.

This year’s hopefuls are Max Muldez, Dee Geralla, Hides Resurrection, and Brave Suralta of Cebu City; Shan Garciso of Lapu-Lapu City; Nel Bucog and Doms Quibido of Talisay City; Zandra Pateres and Yeza Mayol of Liloan; Tere Damos of Bogo City; Raff Buenconsejo of Carmen; and Jov Loon of Pinamungajan.

Now on its 14th season, the tilt’s opening night was hosted by Sam Costanilla and Sinulog Idol Season 11 second runner-up Thea Monterde, with mainstay mentors Jay Unchuan, Apple Abarquez, and BANAT News Entertainment Editor Ryan Mark Borinaga serving as judges.

Set to run for seven nights, Sinulog Idol 14 kicked off with the Idol’s Choice round wherein the 12 vocalists were tasked to pick their own songs. Some performed their pieces traditionally with their own Cebuano twang, while others gave unique renditions.

Star of the Night

Declared Star of the Night was Loon after his performance of Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down” blew the judges away. While Borinaga told the 20-year-old student from Cebu Technological University that he had the highest score in his sheet, he also suggested that Loon improve his diction and enunciation. He nonetheless loved his voice, calling it “beautiful” and “natural”.

Loon told The FREEMAN after the show that he did not expect to be Star of the Night as he only wanted to be in the “safe” zone so he can perform the next day. He said he will apply the judges’ critique in the next rounds.

He chose “Lay Me Down” since he considers it his “strongest song” as it best showcases his vocal ability. The song, he added, also best represents him since he identified with its message.

Joining Loon in the top three were Garciso and Bucog who gave outstanding performances of “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown and “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” by Michael Bolton, respectively.

Calling Garciso’s turn too “technical”, Borinaga nonetheless commented that he did love the “spunkiness” in the Grade 12 student’s voice. As for Bucog, Abarquez praised him for following the mentors’ advice of “completely forgetting what [he] knows as a ‘kontesero’ and start anew” which allowed him to use his “natural voice.”

Bottom three

Declared as bottom three finalists were Quibido, Suralta, and Muldez.

Unchuan told Quibido that his take on John Legend’s “Nervous” was “a little bit too safe.” However, she did like the 20-year-old’s “very calm and collected” voice.

As for Suralta – who took on “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj – Unchuan said that the 15-year-old’s vocals were “pitchy” due to the song’s fast-paced tune that is physically demanding to perform. She did praise her confidence and understood that Suralta wanted to “give it her all.”

Muldez told the judges that he performed “Hold” by Brian McNight while thinking of his grandmother who supported him during his stay in Cebu as his direct family members live in another province. But Borinaga wasn’t entirely sold, telling the 25-year-old that he needs to emotionally connect with the song more. “Your feelings weren’t at home, it was somewhere else,” he remarked.

Good news for the bottom three though as they still remain in the competition as no one was eliminated that night.

Express, not impress

While critiquing Damos’ performance of “One Night Only” by Jennifer Hudson, Abarquez observed a pattern in the contestants that they were singing to impress, echoing Borinaga’s earlier critique of Pateres’ rendition of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Abarquez stressed that this is not what they want to hear from them.

“What the contestants don’t understand is that in the past 14 years that we have been doing Sinulog Idol, we have been listening to the heart [from the contestants] than the technicalities of it all,” she told The FREEMAN.

“Impressing people with your voice will naturally come when you learn how to express yourself truly because you don’t just hear the notes, you hear the heart.”

She hopes the contestants will realize that their singing capabilities make them storytellers. “As I always told them, we are all storytellers in the end. I would want them to be good ones,” she said.

“It’s something that is essential to any performer and their every performance. You don’t have to be anybody else. You just have to be yourself.”