Joey Villanueva, a singer from Niverville, has taken one of the top prizes in this year’s Pinoy Pop Star, a singing competition that features the best of the best in Manitoba’s Filipino community. The grand finals took place in front of a sold-out crowd at the McPhillips Street Casino in Winnipeg.
In the face of stiff competition from the other 13 performers who made the finals, Villanueva tossed off a pitch-perfect rendition of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?”, good enough to land him in third place—and in the money.
Earlier in the competition, Villanueva had sung “Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees, and “Incomplete” by Sisqo to make the finals.
Villanueva notes that he didn’t tackle Michael Bolton’s original version of the well-known 90s hit, but rather a Korean cover with a stronger R&B flavour, which plays to Villanueva’s strength as an artist. The judges were suitably impressed by both the performance and the song choice.
First place went to Klayd Gatdula of Winnipeg, who sang Calum Scott’s “You Are the Reason” and took home the $2,000 grand prize. Andrea Macasaet, first runner-up, claimed a $750 prize for her cover of “And I Am Telling You,” from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. Villanueva’s third-place finished netted him $500.
This was not the first time Villaneuva had joined the competition. He previously competed in the inaugural season back in 2009.
“It was a nerve-wracking experience for me, the first time I joined,” says Villanueva of his unsuccessful 2009 run. “But at the same time, I was excited because I got to meet a lot of talented people. After the competition, it opened a lot of performance opportunities for me in and around the community.”
