Hitting the right notes
Entering the X Factor stage in a fit of giggles, sisters Mylene, Celina, Irene and Almira Cercado told judges Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Simon Cowell, Rita Ora, and Nick Grimshaw that they had travelled all the way from the Philippines and were quite excited to be in London. But jaws soon dropped when the siblings, aged 19 to 27, got going with their rendition of Bang Bang, originally recorded by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj.
“You absolutely just took the roof off Wembley,” said a pleasantly surprised Fernandez-Versini. “You are so demure, but when that music kicked in you turn into four little bad girls!”
Cowell added, “That was one of the best first auditions I’ve ever seen.”
Grimshaw predicted that the performance was “going to blow up all around the world,” and somehow it has.
Talent show past
Introducing themselves as 4th Power, the sisters — who hail from Santiago City, Isabela — have been singing as a group since 2001. A quick YouTube search reveals that they’re no stranger to bright lights and big crowds. Appearing under the name of MICA, the Gollayan Sisters, or the Cercado Sisters, their own channel is packed with videos of their previous attempts at stardom, from local noontime program It’s Showtime to Korean music contest Superstar K and the World Championships of Performing Arts, which they won twice.
Viewers have been quick to comment that the quartet must have been brought in by ITV, home network of The X Factor, rather than having auditioned by themselves. The foursome, however, made no secret of their talent show past during their chat with the judges before their performance.
“X Factor producers did not approach 4th Power to audition — they flew to the UK to audition of their own accord and went through exactly the same audition process as other acts,” said a statement from the show. “There are no rules preventing anyone who has appeared on other shows from applying for The X Factor.”
Favored to win
While 4th Power may already have a background in performing and a sizeable following online, they are still considered amateurs since they are an unsigned act. If anything, their gigs thus far have proven to be excellent practice for their X Factor audition. British bookmakers — or shops that take bets, calculate odds, and pay out winnings — seem to have their eye on the girls, having installed them as second favorites to win the series after only the first show.
Whether they make it to the top or not — and I hope they do reach the finals —their appearance during Auditions Week 1 has made enough of an impression on viewers across the globe and generated considerable interest in them. “People say it’s the British X Factor, should it just be British talent? But I’ve always said we welcome talent from around the world and you are incredibly welcome,” Cowell told 4th Power. If these Filipino hopefuls don’t win the top prize, they can at least say they’ve performed at Wembley. That’s not too shabby.
