(UPDATE: Sofronio Vasquez was declared The Voice USA winner on Tuesday night, December 10 in the US (Wednesday, December 11, in the Philippines.)
First things first: The number of views and likes on the official YouTube channel of The Voice USA does not always translate to actual votes.
If we go by social media metrics alone, Filipino contestant Sofronio Vasquez would be the runaway winner. His six-digit views and thousands of likes are several times that of his closest rival among the other four top contenders — that would be teenager Shye, fellow team member under swing/standards star Michael Bublé.
I suspect those figures represent many Filipinos outside of the US who are not eligible to vote. It would not be an exaggeration, however, to say that US-based Filipinos, or citizens there with Filipino heritage, are rooting for the soulful singer who has also earned raves from websites known for forecasting winners of musical reality shows.
Having said that, I do think Vasquez, a dental hygienist and former contestant in Philippine musical contests, could actually make history not only as the first winner of Filipino origin, but also, as Bublé notes, The Voice’s first winner of Asian origin.
Forget bias
There have been many US singers of Filipino blood who earned four-chair turns and raves during blind auditions, or even the battles and knockouts, only to fade in latter rounds — and not just in The Voice, but also other shows like American Idol or America’s Got Talent or the X-Factor.
The reason, from where I’ve sat anyway, is often due to three factors.
First, song choice.
Second, an inability to nimbly adjust to genres.
Third, other contestants pulling off surprises just as the competition peaks.
Call me a musical reality show groupie, and one who respects music and talent enough to vote beyond identity or ethnicity, or even intriguing back stories.
I’ve followed The Voice for decades, across various national versions, and have never really seen racial bias or other biases much of a factor among voters. This goes for other tilts, except, perhaps, on Idol, when sweet-voiced Kris Allen inexplicably edged out his roommate and friend Adam Lambert for the title. But that could be mainly due to taste; men and women with strong country bent often triumph in Idol.
The Voice’s last winner, Asher HaVon (Team Reba), was openly LGBTQ. He appeared with changing hairstyles, eye makeup, and clothes that included a tuxedo with a peplum back, and a white, scallop-edged cape that draped from one shoulder to sweep the floor behind him as he sang a glorious cover of “Titanium” by Sia.
Swag
Speaking of Sia, covering her “Unstoppable” was one of the things Vasquez did right in the finale round.
As The Voice announced the Top Five picks, I thought the finale should see Vasquez moving from golden oldies to more modern songs. I also wondered if he could move.
“Unstoppable” answered that question.
As he went through the contest rounds, Vasquez had already shown off his range and impeccable dynamics, flowing from full-chest belts to an almost-murmurs and then sliding back up again. There has been nary a raised brow as judges and voters pushed him forward.
“Unstoppable” allowed Vasquez to unveil real swag. He strode, loped, and slid around the stage, and busted some grooves without a hint of over-trying.
This was an arena-level display of talent and confidence. And it was current, which matters the most with The Voice audience, more than other musical contests.
Fluid but authentic
Picking that song, with its blend of vulnerability and aspiration, and infusing it with Motown soul, also reminded viewers of his blind performance. Vasquez had earned turns from all judges within seconds of his cover of Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down.”
I’ve watched Vasquez’s old performances in this country, and he never quite moved me. A few years (he migrated in 2022) have created a vast change not just in vocal technique.
He now has a looseness and insouciance, even a teeny weeny bit of edginess. And he has the right ambition of hunger and yearning, and yet never allows passion to get in the way of vocals.
“Unstoppable” highlighted Vasquez’ ability to shift genres while still remaining authentic to his musical taste.
His cover of Roy Orbison’s country classic “Crying” — tinged with R&B and smooth but complex runs — is perhaps second only to k.d. Lang’s cover. (The collaboration between Lang and Orbison won them a Grammy in 1989. Millions have shared Lang’s 1990 tribute to the country superstar.)
Vasquez wisely stuck to standards in the middle rounds. But he gave enough spin and helluva power to “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” prompting Jennifer Hudson to throw a silver shoe at him. If you’ve been watching her on The Voice UK, it’s her way of paying tribute.
Nice can finish first
Vasquez isn’t the most colorful personality outside of the stage. The excitement he elicits is all due to his voice and musicality.
Don’t know how much Bublé influenced the arrangements. I suspect Vasquez has genuine creative chops because his audition already showed the difficult art of tweaking a song while paying homage to the original.
He showed this, too, in turning what (to me) is one of the most hokey of Elvis Presley hits into something that would do any gospel choir proud.
I thought Vasquez’s other song choice, “A Million Dreams,” suffered a bit with a lack of clarity in the verses, something that disappeared in the more difficult “Unstoppable.” This weakness also showed up in his Presley cover.
But, in both songs, one’s memory only focuses from the moment Vasquez slides into the chorus, and then builds and builds, and the ease in the way he transitions between keys. And what really sticks is his ardent love for the craft.
“A Million Dreams” caters to a multi-generational demographic. It is also about grit and discipline, two traits that have brought Vasquez to what could be the launchpad of his vow to fulfill his late father’s dream for him.
The choke on the last line just made this performance more poignant. Hudson was right when she told him: “Some people sing a song, and some people sing the song. You are the song.”
One last word: the clothes sense!
Vasquez isn’t tall. He doesn’t have the most svelte of bodies. But every performance showed off a hip silhouette, and the finale showed him at his best. That loose trench and baggy trousers and the collar bling — a perfect fit that made his moves more slick and made him stand out from the chorus. He also rocked the platform shoes under the more workmanlike outfit of “A Million Dreams.”
Vasquez’s biggest rival, I think, is Shye. The teenager finally unleashed her full potential with another very current song choice, Harry Styles’ “Falling”.
Where Vasquez trumps everyone is consistency. An admiring Snoop told him: “You always come with the best performance I’ve heard from you. You never take a day off.”
Great talent, consistency, and the ability to surprise hopefully win the historic title for Vasquez. – Rappler.com
