Another Filipino has wowed the judges of singing competition The X Factor UK, but this time, it’s not merely because she sang well — she also sang in both a woman and a man’s voice.
In the show’s episode aired over the weekend, Filpino singer Sephy Francisco blew the judges away with her rendition of the song The Prayer, popularized by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.
The judging panel which included Simon Cowell, Robbie Williams, and former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson was immediately impressed by Francisco, but they had no idea that the singer had a trick up her sleeve.
Francisco started by singing in a woman’s voice but after about 50 seconds, shifted to a man’s voice, successfully finishing the duet all by herself.
Judges’ and audiences’ jaws literally dropped.
“Well, that was a surprise,” judge Ayda Field said.
“I’ve never judged a duo who’s one person. This is incredible,” Cowell said. “I save money, you made more money,” he joked.
In the end, Francisco got a “yes” vote from all four judges, leading her to the next round in the competition.
Her stunt proved to be novel in the UK but in the Philippines, it’s actually a fairly common type of performance. Locally called doble kara (two faces), performers dress in half male and have female attire and sing both male and female voices in popular duets.
Here’s Filipino singer Marcelito Pomoy, winner of Pilipinas Got Talent season 2, also singing The Prayer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfy9rQCpWJg&index=1&list=RDZfy9rQCpWJg
Francisco, on the other hand, first gained prominence in the Philippines for appearing on the local version of the show I Can See Your Voice. She recently made waves internationally when she performed in the original Korean version of the show in January.
Apart from Francisco, Maria Laroco, another Filipino singer also recently got the approval of The X Factor UK‘s four judges.
