It’s usually tough to please diva Mariah Carey but it did not take much for a viral Filipino music duo to impress her.
In a video posted by American women’s magazine Glamour on Wednesday, the singer praised cousins Aldrich Talonding and James Bucong for their rendition of her song Hero. (Tip: skip to the 10:13 mark)
“This kid is amazing,” Carey says, smiling.
Of course, millions of people already knew that in 2013, when the duo’s cover of the Luther Vandross song Dance With My Father went viral.
As of this articles posting, the video had close to 8 million views on YouTube.
Their online popularity led them to The Ellen DeGeneres Show stage, following the footsteps of other Filipino acts like Journey vocalist Arnel Pineda and singer Charice Pempengco, who recently came out as a trans man and now goes by the name Jake Zyrus.
Talonding and Bucong hail from General Santos City in Mindanao, the hometown of Filipino boxer and Senator Manny Pacquiao.
Their cover of Hero also garnered a lot of hits.
First uploaded in 2014, it now has more than 2 million views on YouTube. They still share their performances on the site, singing mostly covers and Christian songs.
“Aldrich and James, I loved the rendition. Amazing,” Carey says towards the end of the Glamour video.
But they’re not the only Filipinos who can give Carey a run for her money. Just look at this performance by Pilipinas Got Talent finalist Geo Ed Rebucas who was dubbed the “Mariah Carey of the Philippines.”
Carey is scheduled to hold a concert in Manila on October 26.
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