‘X Factor UK’s’ Sephy Francisco is ‘proudly Pinoy’

Sephy Francisco in Blue Ant Entertainment’s “The X Factor UK”

It was like a scene straight out of “Punk’d.”

We went to the office of M2Comms, which handles the publicity of Blue Ant Entertainment’s “X Factor UK” in the Philippines (Sundays and Mondays at 7:55 p.m.), expecting to do a phone interview with Filipino contestant Sephy Francisco.

Instead, we got the shock of our life when, just as we were about to start the phoner, we were interrupted by the arrival of an unexpected “visitor.”

It was Sephy—in the flesh, and clad in a form-fitting yellow dress and wearing a shy smile that instantly lit up the room.

Two weeks ago, we watched the 27-year-old transgender getting a standing ovation from “X Factor” judges Simon Cowell, Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field, and former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson, after she sang both the male and female parts of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli’s “The Prayer.”

Before her gender transformation

If Sephy’s female voice impresses with its sweet and pleasant trills, her male voice is in a class all its own—it’s a tenor voice that is as rich and lyrical as it is booming. And to think that her voice was admittedly not even in tip-top shape when it was her turn to sing.

“I submitted three videos online and was later informed that I passed the preliminary judging,” she recalled. “In London, there were so many auditionees. I was asked to prepare six songs with male and female portions, from which Simon Cowell could choose.

“The call time was 10 a.m., but I had to wait for 13 hours to get my shot at singing—at 1 a.m.! Performing is always a nerve-wracking experience for me, but I love how my two-in-one act shocks people and gets them to notice me, so I intend to keep doing just that.”

She isn’t really allowed to talk so much about the show, but Sephy said that there were thrilling moments in “X Factor UK” to look forward to. “In the coming days, we will be classified in four groups: Girls, Boys, Over-28 and Groups, and you’ll see how that goes,” she winkingly teased.

Sephy, who stayed with her manager’s London-based sister from July 5 to Aug. 26 during the tryouts, is one of the talent search’s two Filipino contestants who made it through to the auditions round—the other hopeful is feisty 17-year-old belter Maria Laroco, who finally performed in front of the celebrity judges this season after three tries.

Sephy will fly back to the United Kingdom in the last week of October or early November to compete in the search’s next round. And whatever the outcome of that will be, she’s just thankful for the opportunity to showcase a unique and “proudly Pinoy” talent on the world stage—and help her family out of its financial woes.

Her journey as a performer hasn’t been an easy one. After honing her singing skills as a member of a church choir, the Management graduate and former call center agent found herself singing in “Willing Willie” in 2011, where Sephy, then a “bigotilyo,” sang the male part of “The Prayer” in a duet with a female partner. Thereafter, she began toying with the idea of singing the tune’s female part, as well.

Triumphant homecoming for Sephy

While she enjoyed the  newfound adulation of the crowd cheering her on, she had to temporarily give up singing and work in a call center for five years. But, the lure of the stage was as hard to resist as the urge to come to terms with her “evolving” sexuality.

Then, Sephy found herself singing “The Prayer,” now as a “duet” with herself, in “Your Face Sounds Familiar”—first in the Philippines, then in the talent franchise’s South Korean iteration.

Asked to talk about her experience in Korea, Sephy fondly reminisced about the stellar treatment she was accorded by her hosts in Seoul: “It was a lot of fun! They shouldered all the expenses and helped arrange everything that was required for my visit—visa, plane fare, hotel accommodation, the works.

“There were two Filipinos tapped for the show’s global edition—one who could sing, and another who couldn’t. But, I had to get ‘eliminated’ to be able to sing ‘The Prayer.’ If I was the last man standing, I would have had to sing the Korean song I was required to learn.”

Sephy, who looks up to Regine Velasquez, Lani Misalucha, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, knows only too well that the novelty of singing alternating male and female voices could soon overstay its welcome, so she said she’s also learning to rap and impersonate even male singers. To demonstrate, she then delivered an impromptu impression of Gary V singing “How Did You Know?”

Did she manage to get selfies with the judges?

“Oh, yes. The people who made it were introduced to all the judges,” Sephy replied. “Simon hugged me, but it got a little embarrassing when his bracelet got stuck in my hair.

Louis also hugged me, so I hugged him back and told myself, ‘Chance ko na ’to (laughs)!’”

And Robbie? “He kissed me on the cheek, then winked at me,” she beamed triumphantly. “Buti na lang wala si wife (laughs)!”

What did Simon say? “What he said really stuck with me: ‘Do your best—and prove to us that you’re worth it!’ I intend to deliver,” she enthused.