If you've been following their musical journey, then you’d know that JM Dela Cerna and Marielle Montellano a.k.a. JMielle have often leaned into ballads and romantic duets.
Which is why their latest assignments, transforming into Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj for "Your Face Sounds Familiar" Round 7 (December 28), came as a bold surprise to many. JM had to channel choreo-heavy swagger, while Marielle stepped into Nicki’s flashy persona, a far cry from her usual composed and ‘pristine’ stage presence.
WATCH: JMielle earns applause for a remarkable Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj performance
But as always, these two were set on delivering excellence, giving their all even with the clock ticking and last-minute preparations. The payoff came in the form of their third win on the show and keeping them comfortably at the top of the leaderboard.
Panic, pressure and last-minute preparations
When the 'iconizer' first broke the news that they’d be taking on the "Beauty And A Beat" singers, JM was hit with excitement and nerves. “Medyo kabado talaga,” he recalled how he feared they might end up switching genders for the performance.
Marielle chimed in during the interview, revealing that they actually explored that possibility during their mentoring session with the show’s resident vocal coach, Klarisse de Guzman. “Pero right there and then, nag-decide din ’yung team na mas Justin talaga siya, tapos ako ‘yung Nicki. So, parang bumalik kami sa kung ano ang dapat,” she said. While the roles were still intimidating, the final decision aligned better with both artists’ strengths.
As if the transformation itself wasn’t already a tall order, JMielle had to juggle their preparation with out-of-town shows and packed work schedules. They squeezed in vocal rehearsals whenever and wherever they could, sometimes during transit, or after long hours for other events.
In a previous article about their winning Glinda and Elphaba transformation, JM and Marielle shared how their "Your Face Sounds Familiar" journey has allowed them to explore fresh strategies of building performances as a duo. They brought that same mindset into this round, opting to rehearse their parts individually first before merging them into one cohesive act.
"Naging advantage din sa amin for this episode, or sa mga icons na ito na wala talaga silang super duet," explained Marielle, referring to how "Beauty And A Beat" isn't a traditional duet in that the original artists had separate sections—Bieber covering most of the verses and chorus, with Nicki jumping in for the rap verse in the bridge. Even the choreography didn’t demand synchronized dance steps, which gave them room to focus on their icons separately. "So, hindi naging mahirap na, 'Dito sa part na 'to, ako ha? Kailangang mag-blend tayo.' Parang kanya-kanya pa rin 'yung performance, eh."
For his part as Justin, JM locked in on the vocals first, and then rehearsed the movement, literally the day before the show. Despite the time crunch, he committed to the dancing with everything he had, especially since grooving while singing felt like an uncharted territory. "Ginugol ko na lang talaga 'yung isip at puso ko sa choreo, sa dancing na part. Hindi mawala sa isip ko kung paano kaya 'yung sayaw," he laughed. "Kasi ang hirap talaga kumanta habang sumasayaw."
If JM was nervous about the choreography, Marielle had her own share of jitters over the rap portion of the song, "Kagabi, sabi ko sa kapatid ko, 'Ipag-pray mo nga ako kasi talagang na-anxious ako kung kaya ko ba 'yung rap." While she’s familiar with other Nicki Minaj tracks ("Super Bass," for one), "Beauty And A Beat" was a different case since she hadn’t sung it before.
Aside from the pressure of not fumbling the lyrics, Marielle also faced a stylistic dilemma of choosing which 'Nicki' to channel, "Kasi sa studio version, medyo makapal 'yung boses niya. Pero sa live, manipis." After trying both during rehearsals, the team eventually chose the fuller tone, which sounded more identifiable as the Queen of Rap. "Kasi 'pag manipis, mas tunog sadya," she said. With the lyrics and vocals sorted out, she turned her focus to movement, which came easier. With countless videos of Nicki's performances available online, she had plenty of references to study. Marielle focused most on Nicki's commanding sass that has made her a staple figure in drag culture, too.
Prayers and confidence
The Barbie-coded rapper-singer is all about unapologetic confidence, and that’s exactly what made Marielle so entertaining to watch. “’Yung angst,” she gushed when asked what couldn’t be missing from her impersonation. Behind the scenes, however, she confessed to being extremely nervous before coming out of the 'iconator.'
When this writer mentioned she didn’t look nervous at all, that, in fact, she was oozing with confidence (even judge Sharon Cuneta couldn't believe she pulled off that level of ‘flirtiness’ and attitude onstage), she laughed and quipped, "Siguro kasi wala po akong choice." On a serious note, giving their best has become second nature for Marielle and JM. They fully commit to their responsibility as artists to study their pieces thoroughly and give each performance their best. No matter the pressure or tight schedule, they approach each assignment with passion and professionalism.
Just like his singing partner, JM also had to just let go of his fear and trust the moment. Yes, the pressure is real—but that’s not what pushes them to do well. It's the heart they put into their craft that keeps them going. "Kaya po nagpe-pray kami bago mag-perform, 'Allow us to touch the hearts of the people through this performance.' Ganoon 'yung lagi naming ipinagdarasal, bukod sa, 'Huwag N’yo po kaming pabayaan. Bigyan kami ng presence of mind. Hindi sana pumiyok. Hindi makalimutan 'yung lyrics,'" JM opened up.
"Kasi pinagkatiwalaan kami na ilagay dito, so trabaho at responsibilidad namin [na ibigay ang best performance]," added Marielle. "And we strive for excellence."
"All the time," they said, almost unison.
Catch the amazing transformations of your favorite celebrity performers on “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” weeknights, 7:15PM on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, ALLTV2 and iWant.