REGINE Velasquez is very proud of KZ Tandingan and she hopes she continues her winning streak against international pop star Jessie J.
“I hope she continues to lampaso Jessie J. Magaling din ‘yun eh. Fan din ako nun. (Jessie is also good. I’m also her fan),” Velasquez told Cebu media yesterday. She visited the province to judge Cebuanos auditioning for her new show “The Clash.”
Unfortunately, Tandingan failed to lampaso Jessie J last Friday, but her performance was good enough to earn her a regular spot in the hit Chinese show “Singer 2018.”
Her performance was a hit among the audience.
According to ABS-CBN News, some of the audience members were wiping tears when Tandingan belted out the Mandarin ballad “The Pain Which You Don’t Know.” She also sang a medley of other Mandarin songs.
“I want to show my respect for the Chinese audience, Chinese culture, Chinese music,” Tandingan said of her song choice.
However, her performance only ranked sixth out of eight performances. But because she topped last week’s performance, her debut, her average was good enough to secure a spot in the top four. This means that she is now a regular contender.
Jessie J, after topping the first three weeks of competition, has secured the second spot for three weeks in a row. She sang Prince’s “Purple Rain” last Friday. She represents Great Britain.
Hua Chenyu of China topped this week’s outing with his performance of “Nanchucks.” Like Tandingan, Chenyu also topped “Singer 2018” when he debuted last Feb. 2. But he dropped to the third spot when Tandingan joined the competition last Feb. 9.
Velasquez, dubbed Asia’s Songbird, said she is so proud to see Tandingan in the international stage.
“Ang galing-galing niya (She’s so good),” Velasquez told the Cebu media. “As a Filipino, I’m proud of her and I’m happy for her.”
Tandingan, for her part, hopes that her entry into the show will open more opportunities for Filipinos to showcase their talents worldwide.
“It makes me proud to be Pinoy. I’m just hoping that after this competition, many doors will open not just for me but also for Filipino performers now that foreigners recognize the artistry and excellence of Filipino performers. I’m just really thankful that we were given this opportunity,” Tandingan told ABS-CBN News before she departed for China for Friday’s show. (USJ-R Intern Liza Marie Caube, JGA & PR)