Music

  • The Journey of 4th Impact So Far

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    I am definitely a fan of 4th Impact, not because they are Filipino, but because I believe in their talent. The sisters have joined quite a number of singing contests in local TV (too many, in fact). Some of them are sane enough to recognize “true” talent and determination while some are not. They’ve been featured in different TV shows and brought home gold medals from the World Championship of the Performing Arts (WCOPA). They even joined a South Korean TV talent competition (and learned Korean songs week by week) but success has still been elusive.

    4th Impact (formerly 4th Power) First Auditions, X Factor
    4th Impact (formerly 4th Power) First Auditions, X Factor

    I am one of the many witnesses (along with other local television fanatics) of Almira, Mylene, Irene and Celina’s journey to the international stage via The X Factor and I get it now—they’ve been preparing all their lives for this big moment.

    I’ve compiled 4th Impact’s most memorable videos in this post and this will be updated as they continue their journey in The X Factor. Good luck, Girls!

    Elimination Week 5 of The X Factor, 2015

    After singing for their “life”, the public vote chose Lauren Murray to move on to the next round. The girls were still thankful (as always) to the British public for giving them the opportunity to stay as far as they did in the competition. You could hear Celina saying in Filipino “Di ako makahinga (I can’t breathe).” before Almira said their final goodbyes. Shortly after the show ended, Celina collapsed and was brought to the hospital. Reportedly, she is now doing OK.

    And I Am Telling You – Week 5 Sing-off of The X Factor, 2015

    4th Impact and Lauren Murray were the bottom two. The two acts sang for their lives. 4th Impact sang a Jennifer Holiday original while Lauren did a Mariah classic. Simon mentioned that this was the best sing-off they’d ever had (for this season, I guess). The girls did a wonderful job, which got Simon and Cheryl (of course), to vote for them while Lauren had Rita and Grimmy behind her back.

    Fancy/Rich Girl Mash-up – Live Week 5 of The X Factor, 2015

    Each contestant had two performances each. 4th Impact’s 2nd performance was an Iggy Azalea/Gwen Stefani mash-up. Finally, Simon got to see individuality and was able to remember their names (thanks to those poorly designed boxes). I agree with Rita: the boxes and the styling were eye-sores. Geez… BUT, the performance was on point as always. Great job girls!

    I’ll Be There – Live Week 5 of The X Factor, 2015

    It’s Jukebox Week in X Factor. 4th Impact sang I’ll Be There. We got what we wanted and more. The girls sounded great and Almira showcased her whistle register a.k.a. the Dolphin Note. I wish the background image was better though. Flowers, really? Is it just me or Irene teared up after performance (like last week)? I’m guessing she had tears of joy because they’d sang this song a million times before but not on a stage as big as X Factor’s. You deserve it, girls!

    What is your favorite 4th Impact performance so far? Any song in particular you would like them to sing? 

    More 4th Impact Performances After the Jump!

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  • Mossimo Music Summit 2015

    Fashion brand Mossimo is always looking for fresh new talented people in singing, dancing, and modelling. This is why the brand has created an annual event that will showcase these new talents and give them the chance to be in the spotlight — the Mossimo Music Summit. The summit is coming to a close, after months of auditions and performances. The competition is now down to the final four musical acts: solo singers Kristel Herrera, Mark Francis Reyes, Zsaris Mendioro, and trio OTM, with Jenz on percussion, Kaye on guitar, and Matthew on violin, with all three contributing on vocals.

    Mossimo Music Summit 2015 Finalists
    Mossimo Music Summit 2015 Finalists (Photo: Manila Bulletin)

    Show your support to the finalists by sharing and liking their Facebook posts. You might get the chance to win cash and GCs:

    Share this post to your friends using the hashtag ‪#‎mossimomusicsummit‬ for your chance to win P5,000 in cash and P5,000 in gift certificates. Cut-off is at 12noon on August 21, 2015.

    Also check out the official Mossimo Music Summit Youtube channel to view all the performance clips from the finalists AND the semi-finalists. Your favorite semi-finalist might also win fan favorite:

    The semi-finalist with the most number of YouTube views by 12noon of August 21, 2015 will be declared as the winner of the special award. Winner of each special award will receive P5,000 in cash and P5,000 in gift certificates.

    Here are the semi-final performances from the four finalists, with the Facebook post for each to share and like:

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  • Eurovision 2015 Semi Final 2 Results + Postmortem

    Eurovision 2015 Semi Final 2 Results + Postmortem

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    I got to watch the Second Semi-final of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest after the fact, albeit a bit earlier than the first. Watch the full Eurovision 2015 SF2 on Youtube, and also check out the International Sign Language version, which is a new addition to the contest this year.

    © Andres Putting (EBU)

    To start things off, let’s find out how Europe (and Australia!) voted on the songs that are part of Semi-final 2. Here are the second semi-final results in their running order (the ones marked in bold qualified to the final):

    1. Lithuania — Qualified to the Final
    2. Ireland
    3. San Marino
    4. Montenegro — QF
    5. Malta
    6. Norway — QF
    7. Portugal
    8. Czech Republic
    9. Israel — QF
    10. Latvia — QF
    11. Azerbaijan — QF
    12. Iceland 😮
    13. Sweden — QF
    14. Switzerland
    15. Cyprus — QF
    16. Slovenia — QF
    17. Poland — QF

    Thanks to the votes from all across Europe (and Australia!) Sweden, Slovenia, Poland, Norway, Montenegro, Lithuania, Latvia, Israel, Cyprus, and Azerbaijan are all through to the finals on Saturday (Sunday morning in Australia, and where I live). Now that I’ve watched the full second semi-finals show (thanks to Youtube), here is how I rank the qualifiers going into the final:

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  • Eurovision 2015 Semi Final 1 Results + Postmortem

    Eurovision 2015 Semi Final 1 Results + Postmortem

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    Since I’m both a Eurovision fan and timezone-challenged, I only got to watch the First Semi-final of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest after the fact. However, I’m luckier than the Aussie fans who have to watch this at 5 in the morning. The dedication!

    To start things off, let’s find out how Europe (and Australia!) voted on the songs that are part of Semi-final 1. In their running order (the ones marked in bold qualified to the final):

    1. Moldova
    2. Armenia — Qualified to the Final
    3. Belgium — QF
    4. The Netherlands
    5. Finland
    6. Greece — QF
    7. Estonia — QF
    8. F.Y.R. Macedonia 😢
    9. Serbia — QF
    10. Hungary — QF
    11. Belarus 😭
    12. Russia — QF
    13. Denmark
    14. Albania — QF
    15. Romania — QF
    16. Georgia — QF

    Thanks to the votes from all across Europe (and Australia!) Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Russia, and Serbia are all through to the finals on Saturday (Sunday morning in Australia, and where I live). Now that I’ve watched the full first semi-finals show (thanks to Youtube), here is how I rank the qualifiers going into the final:

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  • Amiciness Picks Eurovision Song Contest 2015 Top 10

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    Here are my top ten picks for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Fingers crossed that all of them score high on the finals scoreboard. (Read my previous Eurovision post for my picks 20-11.)

    10. Austria
    The Makemakes — I’m Yours

    This sounds like a classic rock ballad from yesteryear. That’s a good thing considering this sound is sort of making a comeback on the airwaves, with the popularity of Sam Smith and Hozier among many. Will this song win? Probably not. But I’m expecting this to at least be on the left side of the scoreboard come finals.

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