6. Kriesha Chu
This Filipino-American from Cebu joined K-Pop Star 6: The Last Chance in 2017, and despite her being eliminated on the 7th episode, she was brought back as a wild card contestant. Her strong singing talent led her to be a part of the group KWINs in the competition and they emerged as the first runner-up overall. Kriesha debuted as a Korean idol on May 24, 2017, with her album Dream of Paradise and title track “Like Paradise”.
5. Rose Fostanes
A caregiver and singer living in Israel, this Filipino made her mark back in 2013 when she joined The X Factor Israel with her audition piece “This Is My Life” by Shirley Bassey. With every round of the competition, she continuously wowed the audience with her singing prowess which led her to eventually winning the whole competition. After her win, Rose continued singing in different events, such as a charity performance in Israel to raise funds for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda back in 2013.
4. Cyrus Villanueva
This Filipino Austrian bagged the title of champion at the 2015 X Factor Australia. Starting off with his audition piece “Earned It” by the Weekend, Cyrus was continuously safe throughout the whole competition until he eventually won it all.
3. Marlisa Punzalan
In 2014, Marlisa joined The X Factor Australia Season 6. With her audition piece “Yesterday” by The Beatles, she was continuously safe until the semi-finals week where she landed in the bottom two. However, because she had the most public votes, she was able to make it past to the grand finals. She won the competition and became the first contestant from the girls category to win.
2. VPeepz
Filipinos are not only known for their superior talent when it comes to singing. This junior dance crew has received the Regional and National titles at the Hip Hop International Philippines twice since 2016. Additionally, they have been receiving the Ani ng Dangal, a state recognition given by the National Commission of Culture and the Arts, for three straight years. Currently competing in World of Dance, this dance crew has broken records. With their audition piece “How Low” by Ludacris, they were praised for their intense synchronization and how clean their performances were. With an average score of 90.3, they made it to The Duel and The Cut rounds with flying colors.
Most recently, VPeepz had broken yet again another record for the season as Ne-Yo, one of the judges, gave them a perfect 100 with their performance of “&Burn” by Billie Eilish, getting them an average of 98.7. Despite their great talent in dance, they made it very clear that their mission was to promote diversity, unity, and love, another one of the many reasons to love and support this dance crew as they continue their journey in World of Dance.
1. El Gamma Penumbra
From Tanauan, Batangas, the 27-member shadowplay group first gained attention when they joined Pilipinas Got Talent in 2011. They advanced to the grand finals after receiving the highest nationwide votes from the semifinals but sadly ended their streak at 4th place. This didn’t stop them though. In 2015, they joined Asia’s Got Talent and advanced to the semifinals after receiving a golden buzzer from Anggun, an Indonesian judge on the panel. In the semifinals, they performed a piece on war, recovery from war and peace to the song “One Day” by Matisyahu. This performance earned them yet again another golden buzzer, bringing them straight to the finals. Despite them only being 13 members to perform due to budget constraints, they still made their country immensely proud as the first ever champion, and this win was based solely on public votes.
Truly, this is only the beginning for what Filipinos are able to do, and have yet to show the world. We can only hope and be there to support them as they reach their dreams and go through with their own individual journeys one by one, making their home country, the Philippines, proud along the way.
Who among these acts are your favorite? Let us know in the comments down below!
