The boys most likely

Henz Villaraiz

Last Nov. 5, “Pinoy Boyband Superstar” moved up to the next level and started showcasing its 12 chosen finalists in performance, the better for the tilt’s mentors and viewers to vet the remaining contenders against each other.

This was a big step up, because prior to this, the vetting was being done mostly on a theoretical basis. Now, for the first time, the individual comers were being perceived as members of a group, performing in tandem rather just as solo performers.

Right away, the context of the competition changed, as separate groups of three singers each sequentially “sold” a song to the studio and home audience.

Right off the bat, a basic limitation of the boy band search made itself disturbingly obvious: The judge/mentors and the screaming studio audience had been so focused on finding cute and telegenic bets that, when all 12 finalists were finally presented, they were too similar in looks and “types.”

This is not good for a new boy band. The astutely composed One Direction group proves, variety and contrast—not peas-in-a-pod sameness—are what make a boy group interesting and successful.

Cute and telegenic

The audition phase’s shallow and one-note preference for “cute and telegenic” above all else has significantly if not severely limited the new group’s ability to sustain the viewing and listening public’s attention and interest beyond the short-term excitement over how drop-dead cute all of the finalists are.

The five winners who will emerge have to reveal something new, something else, about their performing personas, otherwise predictability and “nakakaumay” satiety could quickly set in.

Another basic limitation that has emerged is the fact that there are precious few standout singers in the bunch.

This is ironic, considering that the search is supposed to be for members of a new singing group.

Joao Constancia

Perhaps the feeling was that good singing could be taught and learned in the course of the semifinal and final rounds? Wrong.

It takes months to do that, so we fear that the final group of five won’t have enough good singers to really succeed and make their distinctive and definitive mark.

Not all of the tweaking, “polishing” and “packaging” in the world can effectively cover up such a basic lack—so, good luck.

After all that, we initially feel that, based on the “evidence in performance,” presented last Nov. 5, of the 12 semifinalists, our best bets and vets in terms of overall impact, talent, appeal and promise of future growth are (in no particular order) Joao, Henz, Tristan, Tony and Ford.

It’s still early days in the final vetting process, but these five comers could end up winning the whole deal, unless  new flaws and limitations emerge in performance in the next few weeks!