Protégé draws thousands of aspirants at Manila auditions

MANILA, Philippines - An overwhelming number of aspirants stormed the Music Hall of SM Mall of Asia last weekend to take their chance on the battle for the big break in the Manila auditions of Protégé, GMA 7’s singing search.

Performers of all ages took moments on the center stage to showcase their talents in front of Mentor Gloc-9.

Rap groups, rock bands, trios, duos, boy and girl bands and musicians of all kinds battled it out for the three slots allotted for the prospective Manila protégés. A 10-year-old girl amazed Gloc-9 with her powerful rendition of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind. She received a standing ovation from the audience along with enthusiastic praises from audition masters Arsi Baltazar and Jojie Dingcong. The girl instantly floored the judges with her confident performance and was hailed as one of the best young singers in the competition.

The female vocal trio from Baguio who display their vocal skills

A female vocal trio composed of siblings from Baguio stepped onto the stage and impressed Gloc-9 with their straight-from-the-heart performance while a newly-engaged couple captivated the crowd with their soulful vocal skills. The Pinoy rapper also visited different places in Metro Manila to invite the best singers during the “call-out”. He was instantly blown away with the pool of music acts he discovered around the city.

Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro mentor Aiza Seguerra was challenged with the number of aspiring protégés from the city. Hundreds of Kagay-anons and music artists from Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Bukidnon and Lanao del Norte competed for the three Protégé slots allotted for the CDO mentor. Consequently, she found it hard to decide on whom to pick to fill-in the available positions for the potential protégés. An exciting turnout of events happened when the Aiza announced her final verdict.

The 10-year-old girl who amazed mentor Gloc-9 (right) with her rendition of Empire State of Mind

Protégé: The Battle for the Big Break is hosted by Ogie Alcasid as journey host, Dingdong Dantes as gala presenter and Jennylyn Mercado as reality host. 

Protégé airs in September.