“Then and now” photos of OPM singer JK Labajo with his former “The Voice Kids” coach Bamboo Mañalac have sparked nostalgia among Filipinos.
The “ERE” singer posted a photo with the OPM rock icon when he was just a contestant at the reality singing competition in 2014, and when they performed at the Lubao International Balloon and Music Festival on April 13.
For the festival’s third day, JK and Bamboo consecutively performed in the evening.
“Time flies,” JK wrote on Instagram on Monday, April 14 with a rock-on emoji. “Haha.”
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JK’s post has earned more than 61,000 likes on the platform and several comments from Instagram users, including one from fellow “The Voice” contestant Moira Dela Torre.
“You switched eyebrows,” she wrote.
“That’s crazy,” singer-actor Kyle Echarri, who also performed at the festival, responded with a loudly crying emoji.
The “then and now” photos also sparked nostalgia among Filipinos who first met JK as a “The Voice Kids” contestant.
“Omg, my fave duo JK [and] Coach Bamboo reunited,” an Instagram user wrote with loudly crying emojis.
“I remember that young boy,” said another user with emojis of a smiling face and a sparkling heart.
“Kamp Kawayan forever,” singer-actress Ataska Mercado, also a “The Voice Kids” contestant, wrote, referring to Bamboo’s team name.
“Nostalgic. Kamp Kawayan forevz,” commented another user with several emojis.
In 2014, JK joined the first season of “The Voice Kids,” where he finished third. The season was won by Lyca Gairanod, while Darren Espanto was the runner-up.
In the singing competition, JK chose Bamboo as his mentor after both the OPM rock icon and Sarah Geronimo turned their chairs following his blind audition.
During the grand finale, Bamboo said that he saw a “singer, an artist and possibly an actor” to JK.
“I see someone who has the charisma to do it all,” he said of his protege before.
Fast forward today and JK has already made a name for himself in the local music industry, having two studio albums as a solo artist and two studio albums with his namesake band, Juan Karlos.
Meanwhile, Bamboo served as the frontman of Rivermaya and later of his own band, Bamboo, which spawned OPM hits like “Noypi,” “Hallelujah,” “Tatsulok,” and “Probinsyana.”
He has been a “The Voice” coach from 2014 to 2023.
