It was through his victorious stint in “The Voice Philippines Season 2” a decade ago when Jason Dy first came into the public consciousness and impressed us with his vocal prowess.
Ten years later, he’s able to prove that he is definitely more than just a balladeer who can either prick or warm our hearts through every song he sings, for he’s also a total performer who can sing, dance, and act—just like what he does in every round of “Your Face Sounds Familiar Season 4” as one of its celebrity performers.
And two weeks into the competition, he has finally clinched the coveted “Weekly Winner” title after dominating the second week through his impeccable performance of “Dancing with a Stranger” and astonishing transformation into Sam Smith, which the award-winning English singer-songwriter even approved!
But before he moves on to his next icon, who is legendary American singer and songwriter Frank Sinatra, ABS-CBN Studios had the chance to catch up with Jason recently, wherein he talked about his “Your Face Sounds Familiar” journey and responded to our other fun questions related to him and the show.
According to him, his journey in the talent competition started when he was called and invited to audition—an opportunity he didn’t hesitate to accept since he has always wanted to be part of it as a self-confessed fan. Thus, he’s thankful to the production team for adding him to the cast.
“I’ve always wanted to be part of the show kasi fan ako ng show. Kahit noong first season pa lang fan na ako talaga and I would na hope na hopefully one of these seasons I’ll be part of it. Thankfully, na-manifest natin siya,” he enthused.
He recounted being asked by the production team to do a couple of artists that he could impersonate, so he went with his favorite artists, Erik Santos and Stevie Wonder. Speaking of the Prince of Pop, he imparted that Erik is actually the artist he has been so fond of mimicking, as it has been his way of teasing him as one of his good friends in and out of the industry. However, he claims that he does it out of love and respect since he’s such a huge fan, as he grew up listening to him.
With regard to the preparations that he has undertaken for his stint in “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” Jason divulged that he had actually started stepping up his fitness even before joining the show. According to him, he started working out early this year by going to the gym and hiring a personal trainer, which he complemented with a healthier diet. He just maintained this groove in order for him to obtain the energy he needed in his every performance.
Since every celebrity performer is required to not just appear and move like the icons assigned to them in every round but to also sound like them, the balladeer agreed when asked if he thinks that his being a singer could be his edge in the competition.
“Yeah, I think it was a huge advantage. I won’t say ‘no’, kasi ako, personally, as a kid, I learned how to sing by imitating. Nagsimula ako na nanggagaya-gaya ako. Nag-start ako mag-imitate ng singers, nakikinig ako ng radio and I would imitate them, and then I would watch music videos and I would imitate how they sound,” he related.
He continued, “Then it became a challenge for me growing up to find my own voice because I was used to mimicking other artists. But the challenge naman sa show na ‘to is to go back to that—do the mimicking and the impersonating. Going back to my roots kumbaga.”
In the 10 years that he has been in showbiz and the two weeks that he has been in the program, Jason imparted that among the important learnings that he has obtained and would carry with him either throughout the show or his career is the value of dedication and commitment in everything that he does.
The Week 2 winner stated, “Dedication talaga and commitment. Like if you’re given a task, you really have to commit. You really have to give your 110%—or even more—if you really want to do a good job at it. Although ako naman, that’s always my mindset when it comes to any kind of performance. Siguro, added layer lang ‘to kasi nga ang daming moving parts, ang daming aspect sa performance. I’m not just singing, I’m not just performing, marami siyang hurdles to overcome.”
Meanwhile, with regard to his reaction upon seeing that Frank Sinatra is the next icon he’s going to portray in the third week of “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” he told ABS-CBN Studios, “Natuwa ako kasi isa rin ‘yon sa mga favorite ko na artists. Kasi, when we talk about music icons, Frank Sinatra is up there. He has a very distinct voice. Natuwa ako, and also na-pressure din ako kasi it’s really hard to imitate someone who has a really distinct, signature voice. ‘Yon naman ang challenge do’n.”
When asked about the icons and performances that he wishes to do in the next rounds of the competition, Jason conveyed that he’s actually hoping for him to be assigned Stevie Wonder or any rapper like Drake and Kendrick Lamar. And for extra fun and entertainment, he expressed his willingness to challenge himself by taking on female rappers like Cardi B or Nicki Minaj.
And lastly, when quizzed about who among his fellow performers he thinks will do a great job of impersonating him, he said that it could be Jarlo Base since he also does R&B like him. At the same time, he also wants it to be Pepe in order to find out if he can do the said genre.
“Mga Ka-Familiars and everyone who supports me and the other people in the cast, maraming salamat po sa suporta ninyo. Sana po ay patuloy kayong manood and suportahan ang Season 4 ng ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar.’ Marami pa po kaming inihanda na mga pasabog, mga amazing performances, mga icons. Sobrang saya ng season na ‘to and hindi po kayo magsisisi na manood at mag-support,” Jason enthused.
Will Jason Dy dominate once again in the next round of the well-loved competition? Well, let’s just find out by not missing an episode of “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” every weekend night at 7:15PM on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and iWant. Viewers can also catch it on TV5 every Saturday, at 8:15PM, and Sundays, at 8:30 PM.