Jason Dy joins Star Music eight years after winning The Voice Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — It’s been eight years since Jason Dy was named as grand champion in The Voice Philippines Season 2 with Sarah Geronimo as his vocal coach. But for the singer-songwriter, it felt like it was only yesterday when that momentous day in his life took place.

“Every time I’d hear that intro music of The Voice, especially now that The Voice Kids (new season) has begun, I’d still feel the jitters, kinakabahan pa rin ako. Feeling ko, Blinds (blind auditions) pa rin,” mused Jason who joined and won the reality singing search in 2015.

Just a few days ago, the R&B crooner posted a photo of his The Voice trophy on his Facebook account in celebration of his eighth year in the music scene.

“It’s been quite a ride after The Voice but I’m just super happy, thankful for everything that has happened so far. The Voice gave me so many opportunities that led me to discover more of my strengths as a singer. But of course, there are still so many things that I would want to achieve in my career,” he added.

Perhaps, anyone who will get to hear his story prior to his winning the Kapamilya reality singing search will certainly say that Jason is, indeed, meant to be a singing star.

“I joined so many (singing) competitions. In ABS(-CBN) alone, I auditioned for the two seasons of Pilipinas Got Talent. I auditioned for X-Factor and The Voice Season 1.

“My audition for The Voice Season 2 was like my ultimatum to myself that if I were going to be rejected again, then it would be a sign from the Lord for me to stop. Because I always get rejected, even in mall auditions. And to a certain extent, parang masakit na rin kung lagi kang na-re-reject. So I said to the Lord, ‘I’m going to try one more time for The Voice Season 2 and if I fail, I will stop.’ Luckily, everything fell into place and the rest, as they say, is history.”

That’s why Jason believes that it is important for any aspiring singer to just keep on trying. Auditions, he added, are also learning opportunities to identify one’s strengths and weaknesses.

“Tuloy-tuloy lang kasi it also builds your character and your talent because once you get rejected, it makes you reflect on your flaws or what you should work on in order to improve.”

If not for the struggles he experienced prior to becoming one of today’s singers, Jason said he wouldn’t be able to appreciate the fruits of his hard work. In fact, he keeps in his heart every lesson that the music industry has imparted to him through the many goings-on in his life as a singer.

“Definitely, mas lalo kong minahal ‘yung pag-kanta at pag-perform. Singing is not just a hobby for me, it’s my passion. And it has become my livelihood which drives me to do my best and to really give it my full attention. So, I always make sure to be always ready in every event because professionalism has been instilled in me,” he said.

“Humility is important and also being kind to coworkers, ‘yung pakikisama not just to your fellow artists but also to the production staff. I’ve noticed that those who last long in the industry — our icons — are the ones who are easy to work with. They are professional so I always keep that in mind.”

Jason also expressed his appreciation for Sarah G who, he said, was instrumental in his journey in The Voice. She taught him how to perform on stage and to properly convey a song “because before, dahil R&B ‘yung style ko, kinukulot ko ng grabe (ang tono) and then she taught me to pull it back, na dapat sakto lang ‘yung kulot sa specific line of the song. Until now, I always remember not to overdo it.”

Meanwhile, Jason takes delight in the fact that he is taking his music career to new heights as the newest member of ABS-CBN Star Music family.

As per media release, Jason, dubbed as the country’s Prince of Soul, reinvents himself by exploring other genres beyond what he was used to starting with the R&B dance track Ulit-ulit, which is about one’s frustration over repeated arguments in a relationship.

Ulit-ulit is Jason’s original composition and its music video was also his original concept.

“Actually, I wrote the song around 2017 and even before the melody and lyrics, I already had a title written in my phone’s notes. Then sumunod na ‘yung idea ng song. It talks about that point in the relationship where arguments between a couple, or their fights, get repetitive. It’s about whether the relationship is worth saving or it is heading towards separation,” said Jason.

Asked if he’s the type who will stay in a relationship or give up when a situation becomes complicated, Jason replied, “I have long patience. I’m the type who can give a second or third chance and I don’t easily get angry. As long as there is a chance to fix a situation, then I will.

“Plus, I’m not confrontational that sometimes hindi ko sinasabi kung may something akong nararamdaman but of course, we all have our limits. If I reach a point that I can no longer take it, then I really have to voice out my feelings. Matagal akong magalit or ma-frustrate pero huwag naman aabusuhin.”

Fortunately, Jason has nothing to be frustrated about when it comes to his music career. His career highlights would be his performances. He told The STAR that he felt proud every time there was a Champions production number in ASAP.

“All the champions from different competitions would sing on stage and for me to be part of that was really something. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it because I used to just watch singing champions like Erik (Santos), Angeline (Quinto), Jona perform before. But now, I get to sing alongside them,” he shared.

“Of course, my finale performance in The Voice was one of my best performances and also my performance with David Foster was quite an experience.”

Jason said that he would love to collaborate with other artists as well. “There are so many singers I wanna collaborate with but definitely KZ (Tandingan), one of my best friends in the industry, is among them. I’ve always wanted to work with her, like write something with her, probably a Bisaya (song), something like that. Janine (Berdin) is also in my list and Jeremy G, napakagaling na singer-songwriter. There are so many excellent singers but I really wanna work with these three (artists).”

Jason also hopes to release more music in the coming days. He has already written a couple of songs. “Some of them are being prepared for my upcoming album, my EP probably (to be released) sometime in June. Hopefully by then, I’m able to finish everything by June because it’s my birthday month.”

(Ulit-ulit, now available on various music streaming platforms, will be part of his mini-album that is set to be released this year under Star Music.)