The third season of singing and impersonation contest Your Face Sounds Familiar premiered last Saturday this time training the spotlight on a fresh crop of talented kids that left the viewers and live audience entertained from start to finish.
Still led by Billy Crawford as host, the show introduced AC Bonifacio, Alonzo Muhlach, Awra Briguela, Elha Nympha, Justin Alva, Lyca Gairanod, Sam Shoaf, and Xia Vigor as the eight youngsters who will transform into pop stars and iconic celebrities every weekend.
While the new season premiere telecast was loaded with so much cuteness and interesting talents, there were a few performances that left an impressive mark on the audience. Most notable performances were of Elha Nympha who impersonated Beyoncé, and Justin Alva who attempted to sound like and mimic the moves of Michael Jackson.
Elha, who is known for winning The Voice Kids Season 3, performed “Love On Top,” which is regarded by most singers as one of the most difficult pop songs to sing. The 12-year-old singer belted out the upbeat Beyoncé hit with ease. Meanwhile, former The Voice Kids contestant Justin imitated the King of Pop performing “Beat It” while showing off his flair in dancing.
But among the eight performers, there’s this young impersonator who strutted his stuff before an adoring audience and definitely stole the whole show. Awra Briguela’s prod trended on YouTube garnering 1.3 million views in less than 24 hours. It is also the top trending video on the popular video sharing site this week.
Awra, also known as “Makmak” in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, stole the show as he performed Miley Cyrus’s hit “Wrecking Ball” while impersonating Mommy Dionesia Pacquiao in reference to the latter’s performance in 2014 when she guested in Gandang Gabi Vice. After the young actor’s performance, judges Sharon Cuneta, Ogie Alcasid and Gary Valenciano were left in awe.
Sharon thinks Awra gave his 150 percent in his performance for copying Mommy Dionesia. Gary, on the other hand, said Awra is a star when he first saw him in viral video. And Ogie Alcasid, who also performed during the show’s premiere telecast, said Awra gave a great entertainment value to his performance.
Awra instantly charmed the crowd when he appeared onstage with prosthetic and makeup that made him look so much like Mommy D. He also attempted to sound like Manny Pacquiao’s mother by using a voice raspy.
The next day (Sunday), Awra was named the first weekly winner after receiving the most number of points given by the judges. Like the previous editions of the YFSF, Awra took home a cash prize, half of which will be given to his chosen charity.
The first week of YFSF Kids Edition showed how fresh faced, talented youngsters can serve as an antidote for our weekend viewing after a long week of primetime TV dominated by boring reality shows and television dramas which all have the same plot.
And perhaps we need the ratings data now to show these networks that the audience also like to see more kid-centric shows like the latest edition of YFSF that feature nothing but raw talents and pure fun. It’s a show that can be enjoyed by both the young and grown-up viewers. Really, when properly done, with kids, you can ever go wrong.
