Is the Philippines getting its next Lea Salonga?
A 10-year-old aspiring Broadway singer from the Philippines just got a big international break after receiving a Golden Buzzer in yesterday’s episode of Asia‘s Got Talent.
Eleana Gabunada will go straight to the semifinals after judge David Foster used his one chance to press the Golden Buzzer this season.
Wearing a bright yellow dress, Eleana was all smiles while talking to judges Foster, Anggun, and Jay Park before belting her heart out to Barbara Streisand’s “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from the musical Funny Girl.
Foster gave her a standing ovation and all three judges were impressed by her performance.
“Oh my goodness, you’re like a baby Streisand,” Anggun said. “That was a very difficult song and you did it. You performed it super well.”
Park, on the other hand, said Eleana was “very, very talented.”
The best comment, though, came from Foster who said the young singer will surely reach the Broadway stage.
“There’s a lot of people much older than you that could sing that song but they don’t understand the genre. They don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing,” he said.
“But somehow, at age 10, you understand your mission. You understand your job. And there is no doubt in my mind that if you wanna be on Broadway one day, you will be.”
Both Anggun and Park voted “yes” for Eleana to move on to the next round but Foster, thoroughly impressed, pressed the Golden Buzzer.
In a video posted in the Asia’s Got Talent YouTube channel yesterday, Foster said that it was worth it to save his Golden Buzzer up until that moment.
“I was just really moved by her,” he said.
Last week, a hand shadow artist from the Philippines also received a Golden Buzzer from hosts Alan Wong and Justin Bratton.
The winner of Asia’s Got Talent this season will receive a prize of US$100,000.
