Filipino talents are once again making their presence felt on “Asia’s Got Talent.”
And the first to leave an indelible impression on the judges of AXN’s celebrated talent search series is 68-year-old Mercifuletes Viola, who surprised everyone when she delivered a rousing rendition of Jessie J’s hip-hop soul hit “Price Tag” including the rap parts originally performed by B.o.B. in the record.
Seconds before Viola’s performance, a visibly skeptical David Foster exclaimed, “This is not going to go well.” To everyone’s surprise, Viola revealed her black hip-hop getup with matching bling and sequined baseball cap. With the studio audience clapping along, the performer dubbed as #rappinggrandma proceeded to bring the house down with her spirited performance.
By the end of Viola’s performance, judge Anggun simply adored her. “You made me happy, I was so entertained by you and I wasn’t alone!,” quipped the Indonesian-French pop sensation.
Fellow judge Jay Park, a popular singer and rapper himself, added, “I was surprised you’re rapping but you were rapping on beat all the time.”
And Foster, who was tempted to press the Golden Buzzer that would have automatically taken Viola to the semifinals, just had to ask, “Are you currently single?…Just checking, cause I’m always looking.”
After revealing she is a widow, Viola shot back, “I want to say this to David Foster. When I saw you, I want to kiss you!”
Foster then went up to the stage to oblige Viola as the crowd cheered on.
As Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” played in the background, the three judges all voted yes. That means Viola will now have a chance to be one of 24 contestants to advance to the semifinal round of “Asia’s Got Talent.”
In a behind-the-scenes video that was filmed following her performance, Viola, who was simply described as a “retiree,” revealed more about herself.
“I have eight children, my husband [was] not well off. We had no house and lived on the street,” she recalled.
“I like singing so much because I want to be famous. I am not an ordinary old woman. I can rap, I can make other people happy. One thing I learned in my life, you have to work hard for everything like rapping, it’s not easy, the breathing, the timing, everything.”
Viola further shared that because of her age, many people have already written her off.
“Many people bash me as an old woman, [saying] she cannot do it anymore. But for me, I am really a fighter. I never, never stopped singing… Win or lose, I don’t care. Coming here performing on the stage of ‘Asia’s Got Talent,’ I consider myself a winner.”
Mercifuletes Viola is just one of hopefully more Filipino talents that will compete in this season of “Asia’s Got Talent.”
“A myriad of amazing talents went through the auditions for “Asia’s Got Talent” this year. There are acts specializing in music, stunts, dance and comedy from all over Asia that participated for this season,” AXN Networks Philippines business head Armi Malaluan noted in an interview with InterAksyon.
And because the maiden season of the show was won by Filipino shadow dancers El Gamma Penumbra with Filipina opera singer Gerphil Flores placing third, Malaluan said the Philippines has become the country to beat in this year’s contest.
“The first season finale of ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ drew the highest rating for a show that aired on pay TV. This year, many more are looking forward to watch the show particularly the Filipino talents who are expected to make it even more exciting and competitive,” Malaluan enthused.
“Asia’s Got Talent” airs on AXN every Thursday at 8:30PM with replays scheduled throughout the week. For program schedules, visit www.AXN-Asia.com.
AXN is available on Cablelink Channel 38, Cignal Channel 121, Destiny Cable Channel 61, Dream Satellite TV Channel 20, G Sat Channel 51, and SKYCable Channel 49. AXN HD is available on SKYCable Channel 247.