Grace Libero

Fresh from his The Voice USA Season 26 victory, Filipino singer Sofronio Vasquez is back in Manila for a series of appearances and performances. First on his schedule was a visit to the Malacañang Palace, where he paid a courtesy call to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Clad in a custom barong by Francis Libiran, Sofronio sang his winning piece, “A Million Dreams,” from The Greatest Showman for Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and other members of the Marcos family and the Cabinet; he also dedicated a performance of “Imagine” to the President, who’s a fan of the iconic English rock band The Beatles.

Chatting with Metro.Style after this courtesy call, Sofronio said, “Meeting the President was such a great, great honor.” He added that being able to sing in Malacañang also made him feel like he was finally home to experience the warmth and support of his fellow Filipinos.

Sofronio has come a long way from being a “bibo kid” in Mindanao, Philippines to a hardworking overseas Filipino worker in Utica, New York, relentlessly chasing his dreams as a singer. He went from the local stage (where he became known for his stint on It’s Showtime’s “Tawag Ng Tanghalan” competition) to the global stage (where his 4-chair-turn at the blind audition eventually led to him being named The Voice USA’s Season 26 winner). Truly a Pinoy pride, Sofronio—whose coach in the American reality singing competition was Michael Bublé—is not only the first Filipino but also the first Asian to win in The Voice USA.

It wasn’t easy getting as far as he did, but being ambitious worked to his advantage. “I was an extra bibo kid… Makulit talaga ako. Nagamit ko rin ’yung kakulitan ko to pursue my dream. Kasi kinulit ko rin ’yung pangarap ko. Kinulit ko rin ’yung pagkakataon to reach that dream,” he shared.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world stopped, the unstoppable Sofronio kept pushing for what he enjoys the most: singing. He discovered and turned to live streaming via the Kumu platform during this challenging phase when earning money was difficult. Virtual gifts or “diamonds” earned through this app can be converted into cash once the streamers reach a certain minimum. “Napakahirap kumita. Napakahirap magkaroon ng viewing. Napakahirap maghanap ng support,” Sofronio recalled.

Eventually, he not only earned virtual gifts but also fans and followers. It was an experience that reminded him of the value of patience, recalling how he would do live streams for three hours because doing so gave him more opportunities to monetize his streams. He would even do live streams in the wee hours of the morning for those watching abroad at a different timezone.

At the time, Kumu and Metro collaborated on a digital cover campaign; the top streamer got to do a photo shoot as a digital magazine cover star. Photoshoots were harder at the time because, with social distancing measures in place, only a few people could be allowed in the shoot. Despite that limitation, Sofronio was happy about how his shoot turned out.

Recalling that experience, he also shared how he appreciated that he was asked about what he wanted for the concept of the shoot. He said of his outdoor cover shoot, “Kasi gusto kong maging rocker, ’yung ganu’n. Nag-leather ako kahit napaka-init. But I really, really enjoyed it. Kasi, kumbaga, I was just a dreamer… ’Di ba, aminin natin, sanay tayo na ’yung cover artist ng mga posters or mga magazines are just so good-looking. Ganda ng mga mukha, mga ilong… So, [ang] sarap-sarap [sa pakiramdam]… Motor! Rockstar! Tapos may lakad-lakad pa kami.”

On The Voice US, he transformed into a true rockstar with a signature statement style, often accessorized with a hat and an earring. During the blind audition, he noticeably rocked a small dangling earring featuring the colors of the Philippine flag which, we learned, was something he handpainted himself. He said, “Alam mo kung magkano lang ’yun? Nabili ko ’yun dito sa Pilipinas ng 100 pesos!”

In his interview for his Metro Man cover feature, he reflected on what singing came to mean to him especially during that time when physical distancing didn’t equate to the absence of emotional connections. He said, “I am lucky enough na kapag kumakanta ako, I make the viewers part of my world. Hindi ko sila dinadala sa mundo ko; dinadala ko sila sa mundo kung saan lahat kami magkakasama.”

From touching the hearts of virtual audiences, Sofronio can now connect with his growing fanbase face-to-face. While a Manila concert is on the bucket list of The Voice USA Season 26 winner, in the meantime, his fans and fellow Filipinos can catch him live for a show in Cebu in time for the Sinulog Festival on January 18.

As a Santo Niño devotee, Sofronio said the Sinulog Festival is the perfect venue for his first solo concert. On what people can look forward to from this show, he said, “Lahat ng mga songs na ginawa ko sa The Voice and all of the, kumbaga, mga iconic competition songs na nilatag ko for the longest time habang lumalaban ako, makakanta ko ulit sila.” And, in a way, this is Sofronio’s tribute to his past self who never stopped until he reached his goals.

“As cliche as it sounds, never stop until you reach that goal,” he shared. “And when you reach that goal, never stop again. Because we have to learn every time. Kasi naniniwala ako na every time, every day, may pinapanganak na mas magaling sa akin. So, I need to practice more. I need to learn more. And then I should never stop.”

And with that, here’s the video of Sofronio performing Sia’s “Unstoppable“ on The Voice USA: