As one of those artists whose career started at a young age, we can say that we’ve witnessed Alexa Ilacad grow right before our eyes. From being that irresistibly adorable child star who endeared us with her appearances in commercials, TV programs, and films, she has since blossomed into a talented and multifaceted performer who can’t only act but also sing, dance, host, and even impersonate other artists. And she’s able to further showcase it through her remarkable stint in “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” where she’s among the frontrunners with three wins and 271 points to her name.
Now that “Your Face Sounds Familiar” is about to culminate, let us relive the amazing journey of the “Gen Z Total Performer” in this special feature.
Kicking off the fourth regular season of the show as the first performer, Alexa Ilacad made sure to deliver a truly impressive portrayal of one of her favorite artists, fast-rising star Chappell Roan. Her rendition of the popular hit “Pink Pony Club” earned a total of 14 points from the jury and sent her to the fifth spot.
Despite not knowing much about the late American singer-actress Connie Francis nor seeing many videos of her, Alexa was still able to pull off her performance of the classic song “Pretty Little Baby,” which became so viral on social media decades after it was initially released. She climbed up to the third spot after receiving a combined score of 21 points—18 from the jury and 3 points from her fellow artist BGYO Akira Morishita.
She kept improving and moving up in the rankings for the next two rounds. Channeling BLACKPINK member Jennie in her daebak (Korean slang for “amazing”) performance of “like JENNIE” in the third round, Alexa garnered the second highest combined score of 27 points—24 came from the jury, while the other 3 points were given to her by weekly winner Jarlo Base.
The “Gen Z Total Performer” finally clinched her first-ever weekly winner trophy in the fourth round because of how she incredibly slayed her “I’m A Slave 4 U” act as Britney Spears. From the way she looked and dressed to the way she grooved and sang on stage—not to mention having a real snake join her—it was truly reminiscent of the controversial performance of the “Princess of Pop” at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.
Aside from a standing ovation from the jury, Alexa also received the highest score of 21 points from them, with her fellow celebrity performers Akira, Dia Mate, Rufa Mae, JM Dela Cerna, and her “Battle of One Icon” contender Jason Dy adding each of their three points to her tally.
After taking on a global icon, Alexa went on to portray an OPM legend in the fifth round—Zsa Zsa Padilla. Apart from stunning us with her resemblance to the “Divine Diva” in her younger years, Alexa also left everyone in awe with her heartfelt version of the classic hit “Hiram.” She got the second highest combined score of 21 points for this performance—18 from the jury and 3 from the JMielle tandem, who was hailed as the weekly winner.
Alexa further exhibited her powerful vocals through her invigorating performance of “Underneath the Christmas Tree” as American singer and host Kelly Clarkson during the Christmas special of “Your Face Sounds Familiar.” The competition was apparently stiff in that round, as she only placed fifth after the jury gave her 14 points.
The pressure was truly immense for Alexa in the seventh round, wherein she was given juror Sharon Cuneta as her icon—just in time for her milestone 60th birthday last January 6. Even though Alexa was under the weather during that episode, she still tried her best to pull off her rendition of “Mr. DJ” as the Megastar in her younger years. It received 7 points from the jury, sending her to the fourth spot.
One of her most memorable moments in “YFSF” came in the eighth round, when she transformed into Yeng Constantino and recreated the music video of “Chinito.” Unbeknownst to Alexa, both the “Pop Rock Royalty” and Enchong Dee would make live appearances on the show. Yeng came to personally express her support to her, while Enchong to reprise his role as the leading man in the music video.
Alexa ranked second for that unforgettable tribute performance for her beloved mentor, which she made possible by using her steal power to take it away from BGYO Akira, whose impressive transformation to BLACKPINK Lisa—the icon initially assigned to her—hailed him as the weekly winner. She may not have won but being able to earn the approval of Yeng and sing “Chinito” with her, as well as to perform alongside her ultimate crush onstage, were already huge achievements for her.
She stayed in the second spot until the ninth round, wherein she had the chance to be in the shoes of her another favorite artist, Olivia Rodrigo, as she sang “Driver’s License.” Her on-point portrayal of the Filipina-American pop superstar received 21 points from the jury, who were all pleased by how she was able to imitate her icon’s voice.
Since she’s a self-proclaimed “Livvie” or fan of Olivia, Alexa wasn’t able to contain her happiness to finally make one of her ultimate fantasies come true.
From stirring our emotions in her previous performance, Alexa went on to rock the stage with her rendition of “Girlfriend” as the “Pop-Punk Queen” Avril Lavigne in the 10th round. She received a combined score of 16 points—13 from the jury and 3 from Rufa Mae—tying with BGYO Akira in the 3rd and 4th spots.
Alexa welcomed her 26th year on Earth as a weekly winner after her spot-on performance of “Maria Mercedes” as Thalia in the 11th round tallied the highest combined score of 37 points from the jury and her fellow celebrity performers. It was a full-circle moment for her, since it was she who portrayed the young Maria Mercedes in the Philippine adaptation of the Mexican telenovela in 2013, with Jessy Mendiola as her adult counterpart.
And for the first and last time this season, a back-to-back victory happened after Alexa was again declared the weekly winner in the 12th round for her very precise impersonation of Rufa Mae. Her performance of “Booba,” the OST of the classic comedy film with the same title starring the “Comedy Bombshell,” completely amused and amazed everyone, especially the jury, who gave her a standing ovation and their seven points.
But most importantly, she got the nod from Rufa Mae, who was revealed to personally choreograph her performance. The latter also expressed her delight that 25 years after Booba was introduced in 2001, she is still well-loved and widely embraced by the public, even by the new generation.
From being someone who used to doubt the moniker given to her by “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” it’s truly delighful to witness how Alexa has proven herself deserving of being called the “Gen Z Total Performer.” Throughout the 12 rounds, she has consistently delivered remarkable and astounding performances that eventually made her one of the competition’s top contenders.
Is she going to be this season’s grand winner? Let's find out by not missing “Your Face Sounds Familiar: The Grand Showdown,” starting April 5 at 7:15PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), and iWant.