Fresh from his first-ever win in the eighth round of “Your Face Sounds Familiar 4”, wherein he wowed everyone with his mesmerizing transformation to BLACKPINK member Lisa—his first-ever gender switch in the competition—BGYO’s Akira Morishita opens the ninth round as the first performer.
Akira once again charms viewers in the January 24 episode as he takes on the talented heartthrob James Reid, performing the latter’s hit song “Randomantic.” A self-confessed fan of James, the “Ace Idol” admits to hosts Vhong Navarro and Jhong Hilario that he actually felt kilig while performing as his ‘lodi’ onstage. Despite the stark differences in their vocal ranges, Akira was still able to pull off the performance by applying the lessons and reminders given by coaches Klarisse de Guzman and Nyoy Volante during their mentoring sessions.
In his interview with the hosts, Akira candidly confesses that he has a crush on James, further displaying his kilig when one of his fans, who was called to join him onstage for a fun challenge, tells him that he looks just like his icon.
Judge Gary Valenciano notes how Akira effectively maximized both his charm and confidence in this transformation. While he may not have fully replicated James’ vocal tone, ‘Mr. Pure Energy’ is certain that James is proud and happy with Akira’s performance.
Klarisse, meanwhile, shares that she really had a good time watching him since she sees how Akira enjoyed his performance and indeed radiated James’ distinct vibe. Although Akira did not completely capture his icon’s timbre, she commends him for making the effort to reach the falsetto notes. Thus, he still did a great job for her.
Guest performer and judge Karla Estrada then highlights the similarities of Akira with James that she has observe during the act—from his physical semblance with his icon to his smooth, cool, and composed voice—that really made everyone feel that Akira truly embodied James Reid onstage.
Catch the amazing transformations of your favorite celebrity performers on “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” Saturdays and Sundays, 7:15PM on Kapamilya Channel, ALLTV2, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL) and iWant.