THE Draybers lead vocalist and The Voice of the Philippines first-season winner Michael “Mitoy” Yonting looked to his past and onto the future in an ongoing talent search.
In the TV5 talent search PoPinoy, he recently joined actress-performer Maja Salvador, R&B artist Jay-R, and musical theater performer Kayla Rivera in the panel of judges and mentors, together with hosts Maine Mendoza and Paolo Ballesteros. Produced by TV5 blocktimer Cignal TV in collaboration with Archangel Media and telecommunication brand TnT, PoPinoy hopes to discover the next Filipino pop sensation.
As a headhunter, Mitoy took part in the rigid selection of boy bands and girl groups during the OPM Rock Night episode, where talents performed renditions and covers of OPM favorites including top hits from rock bands Imago, Eraserheads and Rivermaya.
“It was an honor to be a part of the show and be able to judge alongside some of the most popular stars in the country,” said Yonting, adding that there’s plenty of potential in the pool of performers.
Known for his rock baritone, the 51-year-old singer was first discovered after competing in the 1990s TV singing competition “Ikaw at Echo,” a segment of the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga! on GMA where he competed as a voice-a-like of Air Supply’s Russell Hitchcock.
His rise to fame came after winning The Voice of the Philippines, after which he became part of the Philippine Ballet Theatre’s two-night concert called Sayaw at Serye in 2013. He was also a supporting act for Lea Salonga’s concert series, titled Playlist, which ran from December 2013 to January 2014. Yonting and Salonga performed a medley during the concert.
‘MORE THAN A TALENT SHOW’
MORE than a talent show, PoPinoy also chronicles the journey of the contestants as a group act before they set foot onstage and show off their performing prowess in the grand finals. The participants also get a chance to speak directly about their personal struggles, as well as their development in finding ways to collaborate effectively as one unit.
Further in the competition, viewers will have access to more content on Colours that focuses on the aspirants’ journey: “POpinoy UpClose,” a chat-musical with interviews featuring those who have advanced to the Top 10, which premiered on July 9; and the “Journey to the Finish,” which will feature a more intimate look on each of the top 3 girl and boy groups that will premiere on October 9.
“We are proud of this collaboration with TNT and Archangel Media. Our vision to promote and showcase the best of our new Filipino talents is now being realized with PoPinoy. We’ve always believed that our country is a repository of world-class talents who have been acknowledged not only here in our country, but around the globe. This is what we envision for these young men and women of PoPinoy as they make their own impact in the world of entertainment,” said Sienna Olaso, Cignal’s vice president for Channels and Content Management.