Having been in the entertainment industry ever since she was just a little girl, who started out as a commercial model, a child actress, and a talented cast member of “Goin’ Bulilit,” we can say that we’ve witnessed how Alexa Ilacad has grown not only as an individual but also as the multi-faceted artist that she is at present.
As she marks her milestone 25th birthday this 2025, she has gone on to showcase the more mature, more confident, and more daring facets of her through the projects that she does—one of which being “Your Face Sounds Familiar Season 4.”
And after finally winning Week 4, through her spot-on recreation of Britney Spears’ iconic live performances of “I’m A Slave 4 U” during the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, ABS-CBN Studios got the chance to catch up with her via an exclusive interview, wherein she opened up about her being part of the celebrity talent show, her dream icons to impersonate, and her anticipated impersonation of Divine Diva Zsa Zsa Padilla.
On becoming part of YFSF Season 4
Unlike her fellow celebrity performers who had to audition to become part of the program, Alexa disclosed that the stint was only offered to her, which she eagerly accepted. Besides, she was the first artist that was cast, making her quip that she was perhaps the quickest one to say “yes.”
When quizzed if she had ever seen herself doing this, impersonating famous showbiz icons from different countries and generations, she blurted out a strong “no way.” She reiterated that this was just a mere “trip-trip lang” and that she felt just being played with, recounting that she told the production staff that she never tried imitating anyone except actress-comedienne Rufa Mae Quinto, whose iconic character “Booba” she’s been fond of doing at home. Since that was the case, she recalled performing her version of “Booba” during the screentest.
Although she initially perceived her participation in “Your Face Sounds Familiar” as just for fun, Alexa has gone on to consider this as an avenue for her to showcase and prove her being a “Gen Z Total Performer,” the title given to her by the showrunners.
“Actually, kaya rin ako sumali, aside from it being trip-trip lang, basta sabi ko, this is another avenue for me to show ‘yong pagiging total performer ko because I don’t think it’s something na napapakita ko madalas. Dito mapipilitan ako eh,” she related.
She continued, “Napipilitan din akong mas ma-hone ‘yong skills ko, and it has been so great kasi I feel like kahit na sa ibang show, kapag kailangan kong mag-perform, mas nagkakaroon ako ng confidence kasi I feel like it’s something na I really lacked before. Pero ngayon, unti-unti siyang nabui-build, saka ‘yong comfortability in my own body.”
Furthermore, being part of the show has allowed her to reintroduce herself not just as a promising actress but also as a multitalented artist, especially to those people who still get surprised to discover that she can actually sing and dance, too.
At the same time, this stint has also helped her get out of her comfort zone as she morphs into different personalities every round and gets to explore each one of them, which she highly believes is needed for her growth, especially as an artist.
With regard to how she braced herself in becoming a celebrity performer, she disclosed, “More on naghahanda ako along the way eh. Kasi nga hindi ko naman alam kung anong gagawin ko eh. So ‘yon, kapag may dance ‘yong icon, tina-try kong mag-dance class on my own expense. And I've been trying to walk on the treadmill as much as possible while singing para ma-build ‘yong stamina ko. I think ‘yon ang pinaka paghahanda na ginawa ko kasi the rest, tulong na ng buong team ‘yon e—makeup, hair, and everything. “
On her icon for the next round and her dream icons
After astonishing us with her transformation into Britney Spears in the previous round, Alexa is poised to channel the Divine Diva in her, as the next icon she’s going to impersonate for Week 5 is OPM icon Zsa Zsa Padilla.
When asked about her reaction upon seeing the next artist she’s about to portray upon pressing the “iconator,” she told ABS-CBN Studios, “Sabi ko, ‘Oh my God, ang hirap!’ ‘Di ko makuha ‘yong boses ni Ms. Z. So distinct.”
She elaborated, “Mas madali sa’kin ‘yong mga icon na maraming ginagawa. Mas natatakot ako sa icons na kumakanta lang kasi kapag gano’n, you have to solely focus on your voice, on imitating. Kasi kung nakatayo ka lang do’n and minimal movements, sa boses ka babawi. Eh hindi ko naman ka-boses si Ms. Z.”
Alexa then went on to quip that it was a really good thing that he had already won, as she implied not being confident that she would be able to pull off a spot-on performance as Zsa Zsa. However, she promised to still do her best because she loves the veteran actress-singer so much.
Meanwhile, with regard to her dream icons or performances, she wishes to be given the chance to take on Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift. And if ever either of these artists is assigned to another celebrity performer, then she would be compelled to use her “steal” power.
On her favorite performances from previous editions of YFSF
It was neither Alexa’s goal nor aspiration to be part of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” since it never crossed mind that she would be able to impersonate anyone, just like what she and her fellow celebrity performers have been doing for weeks now. Thus, she admitted not being able to really watch the previous editions of the show.
However, she had seen clips, especially those that had gone viral, which made her say that it looks very fun. Among her favorites, according to her were Denise Laurel’s transformation to Lea Salonga, Nyoy Volante to Freddie Mercury of the British rock band Queen, Xia Vigor to Taylor Swift, TNT Boys to Bee Gees, Awra Briguela to Mommy Dionesia Pacquiao, and AC Bonifacio to Usher.
She also got to watch past Britney Spears performances as part of her preparations for her own transformation to the Princess of Pop. “Pero ‘di ko naman nagaya, for the vibes lang,” she said.
Alexa concluded the interview with a heartfelt message to everyone who has been supporting her and the show.
“I would like to say thank you so much kasi sa lahat ng nagdaan ay grabe ‘yong suportang binigay sa akin, grabe ‘yong reception ng tao sa akin. I’m so overwhelmed with all the love and I mean that in the best way possible because I don’t really expect anything every time na magpe-perform ako. I expect the worst para di ako ma-disappoint o magulat but they’ve been showing me the complete opposite. And I promise to do my best to be worthy of all that love and all that clamor from the people,” she conveyed.
Then she added, “It has been so fun and I’m just happy that people enjoy our show because we put so much effort into it talaga. Like hindi biro ‘yong pinagdadaanan ng lahat para mabuo ‘yong show na ito. So, maraming salamat talaga sa lahat ng tumututok, lahat ng sumusuporta, lahat ng nag-e-engage, especially online. Sobrang thank you so much and thank you for all the love.”
Catch the next performances of the Gen Z Total Performer Alexa Ilacad and the rest of the talented celebrity performers of "Your Face Sounds Familiar," every Saturday and Sunday evening on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, TV5 and iWant.