YONTING. “Singing comedian” in the making?
Last month’s finals for “The Voice of the Philippines” was full of unexpected but instructive developments that presaged the popular choice of Mitoy Yonting as the Philippines’ version of the US singing tilt’s first champion.
Contrary to many people’s expectations, Mitoy’s main rival wasn’t the similarly “power” singer, Janice, but twentysomething Klarisse. Even more remarkably, the gap in the votes they received wasn’t as wide as anticipated—57 percent to 42.
This unexpected outcome is potentially instructive in various ways: It could indicate that the so-called “youth vote” finally kicked in for the younger Klarisse, after significantly not working for the teenage Morrisette, who had unfortunately been voted off the week before.
Similarly, it suggests that the appeal of “power” singing has its limits. After the initial excitement of hearing all those big and high notes being hit one after the other, the thrill simmers down all too quickly, and listeners look for other musical plus factors—like meaningful interpretation, contrast, grace notes and vocal texture and versatility.
Having said which, we should concede that Mitoy’s victory was definitively boosted by the memorable number that he enthusiastically launched into with his mentor, Lea Salonga, and guest artist, Vice Ganda.
The song, “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” turned out to be more than enough to excite and delight many viewers, especially when Vice and Lea “fought over” Mitoy, whose deadpan reaction to all of the cross-gender attention they were giving him indicated that he wasn’t just a good singer, but also a “singing comedian” in the making, in the mould of Rico Puno and Ogie Alcasid.
Productive career
The fact that Rico and Ogie have enjoyed long-running show biz careers suggests that Mitoy could also make a productive career for himself as a singer-comic.
Fact is, his special number was a potentially risky move on his part, because he could have been upstaged by his formidable coperformers.
But, his deadpan reactions provided the right “leavening” touch that put things in a savvy perspective that ultimately made him the focal point of the production number.
Mitoy’s victory also serves notice that singing stardom in these parts isn’t exclusively reserved for the young and good-looking. We welcome this shift, because it opens the field up to genuine, well-honed singing talents, rather than the beautiful but musically deficient stars who hold sway today.
What about Klarisse and the younger talents discovered or rediscovered by the first “The Voice of the Philippines” tilt? They could also become popular singing stars, who can teach young viewers and listeners that they needn’t be resigned to phlegmatic and callow approximations of the real musical thing.
Klarisse’s strong showing is particularly noteworthy, because she lost to Sarah Geronimo in another TV singing tilt way back when—but has now been given another chance to achieve musical stardom.
Her emotional back story should inspire other temporary losers to keep persevering and improving, so that, when Dame Fortune comes knocking at their door again, they’ll be good and ready!