John Paulo Nase, or Pablo, is the CEO of 1Z Entertainment and the leader and chief songwriter of SB19. Image: Arnel Tacson/INQUIRER.net
Upon learning that Chito Miranda wouldn’t be able to return as a coach for the upcoming sixth season of “The Voice Kids,” GMA 7 executives quickly sought for a possible replacement.
One of the first names that came to mind was SB19’s Pablo Nase.
Because the team behind the show’s local version had already seen him at work during a guest mentorship stint last year in “The Voice Generations,” they felt that he would be a fitting addition to the panel, [which already includes bandmate Stell Ajero].
“He had guested on the show, together with other SB19 members, as a mentor for Stell’s team. There we saw how Pablo related to the talents. He was very meticulous and had a command of what he thinks is good. He had a lot of input and we found that truly inspiring,” vice president for musical variety and specials Gigi Santiago-Lara told select reporters in a recent interview.
“Nakakatuwa naman … he took the job seriously. Everyone did, but Pablo really stepped up. As we know, Pablo is the band’s composer and producer,” she added.
‘They said yes’
At first, the production wasn’t sure if the franchise owner, ITV Studios, would allow two artists from the same group to sit in the panel. Thankfully, the idea was eventually green-lit. Now, Pablo has officially joined Stell, Julie Anne San Jose and Billy Crawford.
“We weren’t actually sure if we could have another SB19 member but an ITV consultant, who had been here a number of times last year, saw how Stell interacted with the other coaches and talents. Stell’s team won. He also saw Pablo in last year’s episodes, so he was already familiar with him,” Lara said.
“They said yes. We were happy because they saw the value of having Pablo as part of the show,” she added.
The bigger question though was whether Pablo would be open to the offer?
“When we first approached Pablo, we weren’t sure if he would accept. Our impression of him was that he was very serious and focused [on his craft]. Baka ayaw niyang mag-TV. We spoke to his management (1Z Entertainment) and they said he was open, so we continued the talks from there,” Lara related.
Asked by the Inquirer if Stell already knew beforehand that Pablo would be hopping on board, the Kapuso executive said: “Well, I’m not sure if the management told him about it but he was very supportive. When we all met together, he was very happy. The other coaches were also teasing them: ‘‘Yung mga kanta ni Stell, si Pablo gumawa niyan!’”
“It’s a friendly thing among them … everything is just for fun. We had a photo shoot and saw that the group has good rapport,” she said.
For Lara, having a relatively younger panel is advantageous, because the aspiring child singers wouldn’t be as intimidated, and just see the coaches as their elder brothers and sister.
“Merong ate or kuya feels. Billy (42) is by no means old, but he’s a father and knows how to relate to children. Julie Anne (30) has experience being in a singing contest for kids (“Popstar Kids,” 2005) because that’s how she also started out. She knows what it’s like to be in their shoes,” Lara pointed out.
“And now, with Stell and Pablo … malapit sila sa puso ng mga bata talaga,” she added. “Kids can relate to the music they create. Imagine if the kids are fans of theirs, then they will be happy to be in the show and that will translate to the viewers. That’s what we want.”